


From Time to Time

by KoreanOreo



Series: Time Travel Fics [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Almost Godlike Naruto but not Quite, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Fuuinjutsu, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Naruto, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Haruno Sakura Bashing, I didn't know I was capable of dragging something out this much, I'll try and make her likeable, In the Beginning, Jounin Uzumaki Naruto, Language, Like really slow, M/M, Mild Language, Naruto has Panic Attacks, Naruto has all his cloaks and his summons, Not Naruto Epilogue Compliant, Not after the prologue at least, Older Uzumaki Naruto, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Past Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Red-Haired Uzumaki Naruto, Sage Uzumaki Naruto, Slow Burn, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Some Ships To Be Determined, Strong Uzumaki Naruto, Team as Family, There are two Narutos, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, future Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, mostly - Freeform, nobody important
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:15:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 70,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23715004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoreanOreo/pseuds/KoreanOreo
Summary: After years of war destroyed the Elemental Nations, Naruto is sent to the past to prevent it from ever happening--and accidentally ends up becoming family to his younger self in the process.Kakashi x Naruto Yaoi/ShounenaiHeavily inspired by Backslide by Blackkat and What Once Was Will Never Be by PrincessofWhiteSnow as well as part of Tsunade's Tsukuyomi dream
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Rock Lee, Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto, Sai/Yamanaka Ino, Sarutobi Asuma/Yuuhi Kurenai, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Time Travel Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1836319
Comments: 460
Kudos: 2214





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, for those of you that follow my other story Triple Trouble: I'm SO SO SORRY, I thought I uploaded the new chapter, like, a week ago and I _didn't_ so that will be up later today (because it's 5:30 in the morning and I haven't slept yet and I shouldn't even be posting this to begin with but here we are.
> 
> Basically, I started writing this _years_ ago and got inspired to start again. The first two chapters aren't great since I wrote them like 5 years ago and forgot about them but they're good enough to serve their purpose.

**Prologue**

* * *

There was nothing left. Konoha was years gone and the last of the villages fell years earlier with only a handful of survivors from the Allied Shinobi Forces left to fight Kaguya. After countless civilian deaths and the shinobi forces reduced to less than 20 the survivors of a war that had raged for nearly 10 years had just about given up hope because even if they were victorious, what did they have to show for it? Their homes, their families, everything they'd ever held dear was _gone_.

Even Naruto, for all the power that had been given to him so that he could win-- from the Rikudo Sennin himself and from eventually having _every_ Bijuu sealed inside of him--was too _weak_ to defeat the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya. When Killer B had died he'd trusted Gyuuki to help him and him to save the world but even with the cooperation of all the beasts, with their numbers so low there was nearly nothing they could do. Countless years of studying between battles, learning everything he could about seals and weapons and the mountains worth of Jutsu, even picking up some (small, very small) Genjutsu skills, for _nothing._

There were _four_ Konoha shinobi left and a couple from the other villages in the alliance; Naruto himself, Shikamaru, Tenten, and Sasuke were all that were left out of _thousands_. Kankuro of Suna was still alive along with three others and Iwa, Kiri and Kumo had three, two and three respectively. Those from the Land of Iron were gone.

Out of the sixteen remaining soldiers only 12 could still fight. Sasuke was almost completely blind from continued use of his Mangekyo Sharingan and _sick_ (he said Itachi had succumbed to something similar during their battle, Naruto decided he didn't want to think too much about what that meant), Shikamaru had been reduced to a talking brain barely able to move and confined to the bunker they'd made their shelter and two out of the three remaining Kumo nin were also sick from exposure. Everyone was thin, provisions running low and no way or place to get more.

Out of everyone, though, it was Naruto who had changed the most. His hair, once short and spiky and decidedly _blond_ had, upon the resealing of Kurama and the subsequent sealing of the other Bijuu--for reasons not even Kurama understood--become a dark red like the blood of his fallen comrades and grown significantly in length, reaching his thighs when down. Even his eyes had darkened, though he wasn't sure if that was from age and war or if that was also a result of the sealing. Years of hiding in various bunkers left his skin pale and the extraction of Kurama left his whisker marks light like scars. He was thin now, baby fat no longer clinging to his face, but still toned with muscle and covered in scarring. The loss of his many comrades, of his surrogate family, the weight of being unable to protect the things he'd devoted his life to had made Naruto quieter, hardened a part of him that had remained soft and innocent for so long.

The idea had come from Shikamaru in a rare moment of humor almost 3 years earlier. Naruto had been scribbling on the walls after running out of sealing papers when someone--he couldn't quite remember who--had made the passing comment of: "It's too bad we can't go back to when times were simple, huh?"

The comment had earned wistful smiles from a few of the last shinobi, whose numbers had been significantly higher at almost 400 at the time.

"Naruto," The now-red-head didn't look up but gave a silent nod. "Can you do _that_ with seals?"

It was supposed to be a joke based off of a remark Naruto had made when he'd first started studying them when he was 18 about seals being able to do _anything_ but it made Naruto think, halting his brush strokes. Space time seals and jutsu had been a thing since long before he was born, they're what his father and Tobirama had used to create the Hiraishin and what Kamui was based off of.

"It might be possible, with enough Chakra and the right formula," He responded, not really thinking too much about the fact he was saying it out loud. "If it is possible it would probably only work one way--not to mention how dangerous it would be. It might not even change anything, time could split and create a parallel timeline even if someone _did_ manage it."

Of course, no one had expected _that_ as an answer but even 6 years into war Naruto was still Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Knucklehead Ninja, even if he was significantly lessknuckle-headed than before.

Shikamaru, of course, recovered from the information first. "Wouldn't it be worth it? To save everyone? Prevent them from facing _this_?"

It had taken years to complete and careful planning with help from both Sasuke and Shikamaru to finish it. The seal itself had to be huge and even through Naruto's many protests the remaining shinobi offered their _lives_ to give Naruto the chance to change it. The chakra needed was almost unimaginable for a single person, and they knew from many experiments that it could only send _one_ person, and the time it would take to write out given their situation made the odds seem even lower.

A small group offered themselves as a distraction for Kaguya, one they knew would end their lives, and the others offered their chakra to power the outer matrices of the seal--another sacrifice of their lives and if it didn't work Naruto didn't know what he would do because then he'd be _alone_ and over nine years of devastation had been for _nothing_ , even now it seemed everything they'd fought for had been for nothing--it won't have meant anything if Naruto fails.

The seal was massive, more so than Naruto had thought it would be, and consisted of several parts; a configuration for a rough estimate of the years he'd need to travel back (an event and location to travel _to_ ), a matrix for the movement of time and space itself (namely moving the object within the center to whatever time was specified), safeguards upon safeguards, layers of detail to make the trip as safe as possible and the jump as accurate as possible, not to mention the careful configurations of the formula to actually make it work.

In the end it was similar to Hiraishin, only instead of moving the user from one place to another in a way similar to traveling to the near future it was the opposite, going to a location in the past. The amount of Chakra he'd need was nearly immeasurable. The drain those who volunteered themselves would face would be fatal and Naruto would have, if he was correct, barely enough to survive. He'd probably be passed out for a few days and if he were to end up too close to any of the shinobi villages he could be killed or taken prisoner before he could carry out the tasks necessary.

Saying their final goodbyes was hard, the three who were playing distraction had left before the seal was even drawn to buy them enough time and none of them had any doubt the encounter would brutalize all of them. The twelve helping him, consisting of four people who'd become his closest friends and eight others who'd been at the end of their ropes since their villages fell but remained strong in the battle and fought with everything they could, they were the ones who'd had the hardest time. Knowing that whether or not this worked their time was up, they were putting all their faith in Naruto and the weight was heavier than any other he'd felt during the war. They were quick, because they knew if they took too long it would be for nothing, so Naruto sent a clone to gather sage chakra while he made his rounds.

Tenten hugged him tightly and he squeezed back. When the weapons mistress stepped back she looked into his deep blue violet eyes, barely holding back her tears.

"Good luck, Naruto." It was a whisper but firm nonetheless and the most indirect goodbye he'd received.

Shikamaru, mostly paralyzed as he was, couldn't do much but the look in his dark eyes, the grief and hope, relief, _fear_ said everything he wasn't. Somehow it was more of a goodbye than any he could've said out loud. He held out a pale hand and Naruto took it, trying not to squeeze too hard.

"Save us." It wasn't a request and if the atmosphere were any lighter Naruto would've laughed.

The blond-turned-red-head responded just as firmly. "I will." and he _would_ or he would die trying because that's all he's ever known. Never in his life has he ever given up, even knowing that this war was a lost cause never stopped him from _trying._

Kankuro, who'd taken over as leader of the Suna division years earlier after Kaguya's wrath destroyed both of his siblings--similar to how Naruto himself had been named Hokage after Tsunade had been killed--shook Naruto's hand, tears smearing the purple war paint decorating his face.

"Save my brother?" It wasn't meant to be a question but it sounded like one.

Naruto nodded. "Of course." Because Gaara had become family to him and his loss hurt him almost as deeply as it did Kankuro.

"Goodbye, Naruto." His voice shook and even without being able to sense negative emotions Naruto could feel the fear pouring off of him because even though he had nothing left he was terrified to see what might happen after death.

"Bye, Kankuro." It was just as likely Naruto would die trying to do this, they had no way to tell if it would work for long jumps, even if experiments with short periods of time worked just fine they were tests on non-living things.

Sasuke had been the hardest. The man could barely see anything beyond blurry shadows and was coughing up blood every time he'd moved too much and seeing him like that _hurt_ because Sasuke was never supposed to be that way. He was supposed to be strong and arrogant and prideful, not weak and sickly. They looked at each other wordlessly for a moment, neither knew how long and no one interrupted them. His Rinnegan eye was closed and Sharingan was inactive for the first time in what was probably years, natural eye now a milky grey instead of deep black and through all the pain he was in Sasuke managed a small smirk.

"Dobe."

Naruto could've cried right then, it took every ounce of control he had _not_ to.

"Teme," He barely managed to get it out, it'd been so long since they'd called each other that. They were too concerned with war and, until the last couple years, been stationed in different camps.

With what little strength he had Sasuke pulled Naruto close to him, even after nine years the Jinchuuriki had barely grown having leveled out at around 167cm, and held onto him tightly, burying his nose in the younger man's oily red locks.It was odd, when he could actually see Naruto with red hair. He'd known him as a blond their whole lives and as much as he never would've admitted it if circumstances hadn't been what they were, he missed it. Even now he was almost glad he couldn't see it and could pretend it was still blond. He did, however, wish he could see Naruto's face one last time, see his bright smile again before he died even though he knew he'd never manage one even if he _could_.

He ran a thin pale hand across the shorter shinobi's jaw, tilting his head up as best he could before pressing their chapped lips together. It was technically their second kiss but it felt like second nature. There wasn't time for budding relationships in an active war zone and they had no time alone but none of that mattered anymore, time fell apart around them as they kissed, there were no wandering hands, no heat or passion or anything Jiraiya had written about when he was alive. It was _love_ , so much love, and anger and pain, grief and longing, relief and happiness and _goodbye_ and everything neither of them ever said _._ Even with the metallic taste of blood and dry chapped lips it was everything either of them could've wanted and when they pulled apart they could still feel the phantom pressure.

"Make Team 7 what it was meant to be, and do what you do best: save as many as you can." It was spoken directly into his ear and Naruto knew that all of them, those they've lost and those he was about to lose, they would all be with him--even if he could never truly be with them again.

"Always."

They didn't move from their embrace for another moment, lamenting what could've been and wishing they had more time.

"It's time." Someone said, likely knowing that if they didn't do this right _now_ , Naruto would never leave.

They both nodded and Naruto guided Sasuke to his point on the seal, showing him where to pump his chakra. When he turned to make his way to the center a cold hand grabbed his ankle.

"Naruto, take this." Sasuke held out his sword to the red head. Over years of war Naruto had become well versed in nearly every weapon available and if Sasuke could give him _anything_ after all the grief he'd put him through, this was the least he could do.

"I'll take care of it." Because if he said anything more emotional than that he wouldn't be able to leave.

Even still, a part of him didn't want to go through with it, it felt wrong to leave this timeline and abandon everyone. Because dying in another timeline meant never seeing _these_ people again, they would be there but they wouldn't be _his_ and it felt like a betrayal, but knowing that he could save them made it feel like any pain he could ever feel would make it all worth it.

One person was posted at each point of the seal creating a clock and one at a time, starting at the top, with Sasuke, and working their way around counterclockwise, they began pumping their chakra into the seal. Wind whipped around the redhead standing in the center as Chakra surged through to him. Naruto released his clone, accepting the sage chakra into himself, just as the last person began pumping their _life_ into his seal. He took a deep, shaky breath before he pumped chakra into the center. Sage chakra, his own chakra, and each of the Bijuu inside of him shared theirs as well went into powering the seal, speeding up the vortex of wind and time.

It was like standing in a hurricane, the seal below him glowing bright blue, visibility diminished beyond the center matrix. When he could sense that there was enough chakra for the final step he bit deeply into his thumb and drew the key to the seal on his palm slamming into the center, releasing it. Everything around him turned white and he closed his eyes, allowing himself to be sucked into the vortex as the seal continued to take energy from him. As his eyes grew heavy he knew he'd either wake up in the past or wake up to twelve corpses--or he wouldn't wake up at all.

He prepared himself for any outcome as he finally let unconsciousness take over.


	2. Konohagakure no Sato

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Konoha:  
> September, 11 Years After the Kyuubi Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, not gonna lie, I'm not entirely happy with this chapter. It's kinda boring but it _is_ necessary and next friday will be much more interesting I swear.
> 
> Just so you're prepared, it takes place pretty much entirely in Konoha (hence the chapter name) and switches POVs a couple times, but Future!Naruto (who's name is revealed this chapter) will be the primary POV in most chapters moving forward (and Kakashi, but that's not for a little while yet)

**Chapter One: Konohagakure no Sato**

* * *

**Konoha:  
September, 11 Years After the Kyuubi Attack**

* * *

Konoha was a calm village. During times of peace it seemed like the perfect place to live whether you were a civilian or a shinobi and during times of war it seemed like one of the safest places. Tall walls protected the village from most attacks and the well-trained shinobi, many of which were renowned throughout the Elemental Nations, were there to defend alongside it.

Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves, had produced some of the finest shinobi throughout the ages. The Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages Hashirama and Tobirama, Madara (as evil as he’d been, there was no doubt he was an exceptional ninja), the student of the Nidaime and his successor Sarutobi Hiruzen, all three of the Sandaime’s students given the title of the Sannin, The Great Medic and granddaughter of the Shodaime Tsunade, The Toad Sage of Mt. Myobuk Jiraiya and Orochimaru the Snake Sannin, Jiraiya’s prized student and Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato, who’d saved the village from the Kyuubi no Kitsune’s brutal attack, the Yondaime’s student Hatake Kakashi as well as his father, Konoha’s White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, and the Uchiha prodigy Uchiha Itachi were all well known and feared shinobi, not to mention dozens of others. 

For any shinobi, especially the _best_ of the best, taking down an S-Rank nukenin or two was an accomplishment and a rare one at that. It wasn’t often that lone shinobi _survived_ encounters with multiple missing nin, let alone were able to _take them down_ and come out relatively free of injury. Now, being a ninja meant you were used to rumors, most of the time far exaggerated (though that can also be an _advantage_ ), but that’s usually all they were. _Rumors._ Based on some form of truth, sure, but overall mostly false. So when rumors made their way to Konoha about a mysterious red haired shinobi wearing an _Uzushiogakure_ hitai-ate who’d apparently taken down _five_ S-Rank nukenin, all from a group known to travel in pairs, all within _two years_ when they’ve been trying to tack the group down for far longer, it was undertstabably shocking.

Deidara of Iwa.

Hidan of Yu.

Kakuzu of Taki.

Sasori of the Red Sand from Suna.

Hoshigaki Kisame of Kiri.

All S-Rank shinobi of the highest caliber, known for their destructive power and being utterly merciless in battle. All _gone._ All dead in less than twenty months.

Only it _wasn’t_ just a rumor because the bounties had been claimed with proof of the kill—the heads of each missing nin given to the village of origin as proof of their demise and, in Kisame’s case, his sword Samehada. Which, if the rumors coming from Kiri were to be believed, was delivered to them sealed with a complex fuuinjutsu that even the seal master of the village had a hard time cracking. 

Not to mention word spreading of the Yondaime Mizukage having been under a genjutsu since his reign of terror had begun, which had been broken by said mysterious shinobi upon the return of Samehada, and had started making amends with his village. He even acknowledged that though his actions weren’t his own it was no excuse and he didn’t expect anyone to trust his word, even going so far as to say he’d step down after fixing what he’d broken. The whole thing was _odd_ , especially when word reached Konoha that the Mizukage was also the Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi and had declared the red headed shinobi an ally (as well as any village he chooses to align himself with, which _what?_ ) of Kiri. This man had single handedly stopped a civil war that had been destroying the village for years in a matter of days and Kiri was working toward forgiving the man for the actions that weren’t his own.

For the Sandaime Hokage the information was troubling. On one hand, as a past ally of Uzushio it was his responsibility as Hokage to offer Konoha’s hospitality to the shinobi—if he truly was from Uzushio at all. On the other hand, rumors about the man said his name was _Uzumaki_ which would also, normally, be a good thing if it were true; the trouble arose with a certain blond haired troublemaker. If this man was truly an Uzumaki it made him a relative of Naruto’s, no matter how distant, and the boy deserved that, deserved _family_ more than anyone else Hiruzen knew. But if he was _lying_ about his identity as an Uzumaki or posed any kind of threat to the village then avoiding all contact or even eliminating him would be the safest options—though maybe not the latter with Kiri standing behind him, not to mention the rumored friendship (no matter how odd it seemed to _everyone_ ) with Kumo’s Killer B who, oddly enough, was _also_ a Jinchuuriki. But if he _did_ then Kirigakure may _finally_ become an ally to Konoha after so many years of animosity.

Hiruzen put the coincidence to the rumors that the Akatsuki had been planning on taking the Jinchuriki and let it go for now. Afterall, he’d never once heard a rumor of the red head threatening any of the Jinchuuriki in any way and if he had, he was sure Kumo would have his head already for daring to threaten their _Jinchuuriki-sama_ (even if he knew not everyone in Kumo shared that respect for the Hachibi Jinchuuriki, Hiruzen wished Konoha could look at Naruto the same way some day).

The heavily wrinkled shinobi leader wrote out a quick message. He was sure his student had heard about the man who’d sent the hidden villages into political chaos and fully expected him to have at least _some_ of the _facts_ and to get back to the village within five days of receiving his summons _._ There was a reason he was one of he relied so heavily on his infiltration missions and it had nothing to do with his _research_ (though the books that came out of it weren’t a bad result of said research as far as Sarutobi was concerned).

He called to one of his Anbu.

“Tori, get this to Jiraiya immediately.” His tone left no room for argument or hesitation, not that one of the Hokage’s trusted Anbu ever _would_ hesitate, and Tori disappeared with the message. Last anyone had heard, the Sandaime’s white haired student had been in Yugakure to _research_ and finding the man once you _did_ find whatever village he was in was never hard (just follow the sound of perverted giggles or screaming women).

The only other man still living with any real knowledge on the Uzumaki _and_ with the time and ability to gage whether or not he was a potential threat to the village was already in the village and could be called into his office when Jiraiya was back. 

Only after discussing it with both men would he bring the decision to the clan heads, seeing as Nara Shikaku was the smartest man he’d ever met Hiruzen had no doubt he and the rest of the retired Ino-Shika-Cho team would have good insight into the matter as well. Not to mention bringing an S-Rank shinobi into the village, the village where their _children_ were being raised, without their knowledge would no doubt incur their wrath in their own way—likely one that would result in more paperwork added on to the near-endless pile he could never seem to get rid of.

* * *

Jiraiya had heard countless rumors about the mysterious Uzushio Shinobi who’d seemed to just _appear_ about two years earlier. The most recent being that, upon returning Samehada to Kirigakure no Sato, he’d realized the Mizukage had, in fact, been controlled for nearly his _entire_ reign over Water Country and had become an ally and friend to Yugura of the Bloody Mist. The fact that he and his ally in Kumo, Killer B, were both Jinchuuriki only made Jiraiya want _more_ information. As soon as the information that the man had taken down half of a group that had been planning on taking the nine Jinchuuriki and in the process earned their respect enough for them to consider him an ally to their villages _and_ was supposedly an Uzumaki had Jiraiya chasing down leads almost immediately. 

He found that, while he was still missing information regarding two of them (One more from Kumo and another from Kiri) it was rumored that he’d gained favor from _both_ Iwa Jinchuuriki, who’d returned to their home villages, as well as the Taki Jinchuuriki and Suna Jinchuuriki—both only a little older than his godson. _That_ was another thing entirely.

His godson, the current Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and one of only other living Uzumaki that Jiraiya knew of, could possibly find family in this man. _If_ he was what he seemed. The toad sage of course knew that the Uzumaki, and other inhabitants of Uzushio, had treated those chosen to hold Bijuu differently than other villages—they considered it an honor where others scorned the chosen few. Despite the respect the _Uzushio_ nin clearly showed the two Jinchuuriki, Jiraiya couldn’t shake the idea that there was _more_ to everything the man was doing even if it was only a gut feeling for now. At the very least he seemed to be exceptional with the dying art of Fuuinjutsu, which Uzushio had been known for teaching and the Uzumaki had been renowned for being naturally proficient with.

He’d been about to chase another lead when Konoha Anbu tracked him down with a summons from his old sensei who, upon hearing the same rumors Jiraiya had been chasing for weeks, had come to the same conclusion regarding Naruto and the possible relation he shared with the red headed bounty hunter. He figured his sensei likely wanted to offer the man a place in Konoha, lest Kiri or Kumo—who weren’t on the best of terms with Konoha—sink their claws into him, metaphorically speaking. He made his way to Konoha quickly, shortening a three day long trip to about a day from the edge of Yugakure, he didn’t even stop to peep in the women’s side of the hot springs.

When he made it to his Sensei’s office, Sarutobi was already waiting there for him and Kakashi followed behind him, only a couple minutes slower than the older nin. It was surprising to see Minato’s prized student and Konoha’s Copy-Nin _on time_ for once but the toad sage didn’t comment on it. The one-eyed shinobi nodded his head in respect to the Sannin, oddly serious and lacking his usual “nothing bothers me” air, and the Sannin responded in kind. Jiraiya couldn’t help but wonder what the Sandaime Hokage had said to get the man to his office _on time_ and to make him shed his typical aloofness.

“Now that you’re both here, I want to talk about what to do about the rumors making their rounds about a bounty hunter hailing from the fallen Uzushiogakure claiming to be of Uzumaki blood.” The Professor was all business, the usual mirth missing from his brown eyes.

He turned to his ex-student. “Jiraiya, I assume you have information?”

The Toad Sannin nodded once. “I first caught wind of him almost two years ago when he scoured the Shinobi villages looking for stolen Uzushio scrolls, books, and other artifacts. I’ve been chasing leads on the man as he’s become more active in the recent months with five members of the group of Nukenin, Akatsuki, all confirmed dead and he’s gained fans in the form of the Jinchuuriki he’s saved in the process.” The sage reported. “My information network confirmed the rumors that Akatsuki were planning on taking the Jinchuuriki in order to extract the Bijuu for reasons yet unconfirmed, but it’s highly likely they were planning on somehow harnessing the nine Tailed Beasts’ power to take control of the Elemental Nations.”

“And the rest of the organization?” According to Sarutobi’s student’s past reports there were _ten_ members and five confirmed dead still left five powerful shinobi with unknown goals hiding somewhere among the nations.

“The one known as Pein and his partner have disappeared, not even other members of the group know where they’ve gone, and there’s been no activity from either of them to suggest they’re still active. Along with an unknown nin, Uchiha Itachi and a shinobi referring to himself as Tobi are the only threat remaining.”

It was reassuring since Sarutobi knew Itachi was no threat to Konoha and would do his best to interfere with any attack on it without blowing his cover. The Uchiha’s next report would no doubt have useful information in regards to how to handle the remaining two and how the Akatsuki is handling the massive blow to their numbers. With any luck the older of the Uchiha brothers would be able to return home soon. 

“What of the rumors of his befriending the Jinchuuriki?” It was clear the famed God of Shinobi wanted to know if this man would pose a threat not only to Konoha, but to _Naruto_ , who the man had come to think of as a surrogate grandson.

“All appear true. I’ve found nothing about him being anything but kind to them. He’s found quite the following too. Both of Iwa’s Jinchuuriki, the Yonbi and Gobi, as well as the Mizukage of the Sanbi respect him immensely and consider him a great ally. Recent rumors are also saying he fixed the seal on Suna’s Ichibi Jinchuuriki, a boy Naruto’s age. According to my source, the seal was incomplete and the over exposure to the Ichibi’s chakra was driving the kid insane.”

“So he _is_ proficient with seals,” It was an indicator that the mystery shinobi _was_ the Uzumaki he said he was, not a certainty of course, but it made it just a bit more likely. “And the boy? How’s he fairing now?”

“Apparently before this bounty hunter’s interference the kid was killing pretty much anyone who looked at him funny. Suna was pretty much _terrified_ of the kid. Now it seems he hasn’t killed anyone since and is making an effort to repair bonds with his family.”

“And he’s just doing this out of the kindness of his heart? What does he _want_? Why is he doing it?” Kakashi sounded more stressed than reassured by the idea of this man helping the Jinchuuriki.

“As far as I can tell, that’s what it seems. The Kazekage offered him a sizable amount of money for helping his son and he rejected it and told him he’d be available if he needed anything else. The Mizukage even offered him a high standing position in Kiri and the only thing he wanted was for him to patch up things with his village.” 

Everything Jiraiya had been able to dig up on the man just proved further that he was _weird_. No one was just that nice, even for someone who was taking down S-Rank Missing Nin like it was child’s play.

“Is he truly an Uzumaki?” The question of the hour.

“I won’t know for sure unless I meet him,” It was the truth.

The red hair of pure Uzumakis varied but Jiraiya knew from his interactions with several of them, even training one before, that no matter what shade it was always _vibrant_ . Not like the dull, matte red of the Kazekage’s son, Uzumaki red could go as deep as garnets and still seem to shine as if it _were_ one. It was fascinating, like many other aspects of the clan. Their longevity would make Gai jealous and their natural proficiency with seals was like a bloodline on its own.

He’d know especially quickly if the man held any close relation to Mito or Kushina, whom his godson had the closest blood relation to.

“I see…” The Professor mumbled around his pipe, smoke leaving his chapped lips.

“We’ll call a meeting with the Clan Heads to discuss potentially offering this shinobi a place here in Konoha. If the motion carries, Jiraiya, you will track him down. I trust you to judge whether or not he _is_ an Uzumaki and whether or not he poses a threat to the village. If he passes your tests you are to bring him here so I, as Hokage, can formally offer him a place in our village should he want it.”

“And if he agrees?” Both pale haired active shinobi asked in synchrony. 

“Should he agree to become a citizen of Konoha he’ll be subject to the same probation period as any other shinobi transferring villages. If, and _only_ if, he passes that test will he be introduced to Naruto.” Neither could argue with that tone even if they wanted to.

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” Both shinobi bowed their heads at the order.

“A meeting with the clan heads will be held tomorrow morning. Do _not_ be late. Dismissed.”

* * *

Kakashi wasn’t late to the meeting and if anyone was surprised by it they didn’t show it, not that he’d expected them to. Out of all the Clan Heads, Inuzuka Tsume was the most emotional and even _she_ hid them well the majority of the time. Aburame Shibi was nearly robotic and Hyuuga Hiashi wasn’t much better, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were only ever emotional with their families and occasionally each other and few close friends but _all_ of them had lost far too much, as Shinobi and as _people_ , to allow themselves to be vulnerable. Especially given the topic of the meeting.

Normally the Council would _also_ have to present for a meeting like this but Kakashi knew exactly why the Sandaime kept them out of it. After Danzo’s death nearly a year before and the subsequent discovery that Root had still been active, as well as knowing the Elders’ current opinion on Jinchuuriki and “sympathisers,” it was decided that any matter that required absolute confidentiality would be handled only by the Clan Heads and anyone else the Hokage deemed trustworthy. They had been in charge of handling the Root operatives’ reintegration into society and placed in charge of making sure each of them got the help they needed. 

As a former Root and Anbu member, Kakashi’s once-subordinate Tenzou, now going by Yamato as a Jonin of the village, had been placed in charge of a pair who considered themselves brothers. Kakashi was surprised he’d agreed after what he’d gone through and being forced to look at two constant reminders that it had still been going on. He seemed to enjoy it though, and the younger of the pair definitely needed the socialization. And some sunlight.

Regardless, things seemed to flow much smoother without the Elders present since as soon as the name Uzumaki was uttered they tended to immediately explode with new ways of “taking care of him.” It was disgusting.

Overall, when everything was said and done, if anyone had asked Kakashi, he’d say it went as well as it could’ve, given the circumstances. As always, Nara Shikaku was logical, pointing out potential political benefits as well as benefits for the village personally and emphasizing the fact that he was only going after Nukenin of the worst caliber. All of this was, of course true, since the man was actually bringing _peace_ to the hidden villages.

Hyuuga Hiashi had, of course, been hesitant. His long-standing grudge against Kumo was a sticking point, likely because of his own guilt and would be a problem if an alliance between them was anything other than an advantage. Kakashi was just surprised he didn’t fight the issue harder, Hiashi was so consumed by _the clan_ it was shocking he cared about anything beyond that sometime—though no one doubted he was anything but loyal, they knew that between Konoha and the Hyuuga Clan, he’d would always choose his clan. It was a double edged sword since, while of course family was extremely important, protecting the village was why they were shinobi.

The other clan heads seemed to have no strong opinions one way or the other but Kakashi, Jiraya and Hiruzen all knew they’d want to do their own form of interrogation. Despite their faith in their comrades they weren’t ones to take these kinds of risks without verifying things on their own and it was a relief in many ways to all three men. It meant that, with more points of view, they’d have notes to compare in order to make the best decision.

Four hours of discussion was brief compared to other meetings they’d suffered through in the past and everyone appeared to be in agreement. After confirming his identity Konoha would offer its hand to the mysterious nin who seemed to be a hero among the known Jinchuuriki and, should he accept, be monitored until he proved no threat to Konoha’s citizens, shinobi and resident Jinchuuriki (Kakashi doubted he would be, anyone who still wore their fallen village’s hitai-ate was bound to be loyal—especially if he’s truly an Uzumaki).

They all in some way mentioned their worry about the man’s strength and debated whether it would be worth the risk with their children. It was decided that, in the case that Jiraiya _actually_ brought the man back to Konoha, it meant the youngest of the Sannin didn’t believe he was a threat (though obviously he would be under constant watch to be sure). Jiraiya was a master at information gathering and infiltration and it was highly unlikely someone half his age would be able to get anything past him. Especially since in both Jiraiya’s _and_ Kakashi’s experience, Uzumakis were horrible liars—even if they _did_ tend to exaggerate a lot.

In the end they decided that Jiraiya was to leave in search of the bounty hunter three days from the date of the meeting. Once he found him he was to administer a test of his choosing and in the event he passed, bring him to Konoha for an additional test and be put under surveillance. Until they could be sure he wasn’t a threat he’d be watched by Anbu, and Kakashi knew the Clan Heads would likely be keeping their own eyes on the man as well.

When the meeting adjourned everyone went their separate ways, instructed not to tell anyone about the decision just yet. Should he join the village, Hiruzen hadn’t wanted everyone to be any more suspicious than they already would be by the presence of a new shinobi joining the village. His name, luckily, wasn’t widely known among civilians and most shinobi that Kakashi knew seemed to think the man was good anyway. Besides, if he wasn’t a threat, he wouldn’t be under suspicion for longer than necessary.

Kakashi was torn between hoping the man would come, if only for the sake of having one more connection to Kushina and her son, and wanting nothing to do with him, to avoid the reminder as much as he could.

* * *

Jiraiya’s first stop on his search for the mysterious bounty hunter was Suna. Since Suna and Konoha were allies, no matter how tentative their relationship had been as of late, it would be the easiest place to get information since he wouldn’t need a disguise or any infiltration techniques. 

He met his informant at a bar, sitting in a back booth that faced away from the commotion of drunkards and exasperated bar tenders. He was a short man, older than Jiraiya, and had been close to the Kazekage family and the woman who sealed the Ichibi, Chiyo. 

“Uzushio nin? You mean Kaeru-san?” It was the first time Jiraiya had heard a given name and, even if he learned nothing else from this visit, he at least had a place to start. “He wasn’t here for long, seemed real concerned with helping Gaara-sama, but he was nice. Showed no fear, even when the kid tried to kill ‘im with his sand. Had just as much hair as you, Jiraiya, deep red not to mention pale. I don’t think he got a wink of sleep the entire time he was here. Kid looked like he was a veteran in a war, all scars and wary, not to mention his _eyes_. He’s definitely been through the ringer. Real quiet too. The only time I saw him smile genuinely the whole time he was here was when he was talking to Gaara-sama. Things have been different around here ever since.”

“Different how?” He’d heard that the Ichibi’s Jinchuuriki, Gaara, had been driven murderous by the beast's influence but surely a new seal couldn’t swap the kid’s personality.

“Gaara-sama smiles more, seemed real taken with Kaeru-san. Even asked him to come back and visit in his own roundabout way. You’d never think he was capable of cold blooded murder if you saw him now, and while parents ‘round here are still wary of lettin’ their kids play with him he _does_ seem to have a better relationship with his family,” Jiraiya got the distinct impression that it was probably something no one expected since rumors about Gaara stated that the kid liked and trusted _no one_ , not even his family. It was interesting. “Kid must’ve said something to Yondaime Kazekage-sama too because even _he_ seemed lighter. Still not quite the way he’d been before his wife, but better. Since then everyone else seems a bit lighter too.”

“Anything else you can tell me about this _Kaeru_ ?” Because while what the kid has done for Suna was _plenty_ interesting, it was not why he was here. If he could just find _something_ that could tell him where to go next this whole thing could proceed so much faster.

“He was reluctant to mention his last name, if that means anything. Said something about the Uzumaki being feared by a few different places and being taught to keep it hidden. Guess there’s still some fear there after Uzushio went down. I think it’s part of the reason Gaara-sama was so taken with him. It’s nice bein’ understood.”

“When was he last in the village?” Because tracking him from Suna was _doable_ but not going to be a short _or_ fun trip if it’s been too long.

“Kid visited young Gaara-sama ‘bout two weeks ago, said something ‘bout needing to be home for an anniversary or somethin’.” _Bingo._

“Thank you for your time, Jirou-san. I think I have everything I need to go from here.” The toad sage concluded the meeting quickly, not wanting to waste any time.

“It was no trouble Jiraiya, safe travels.” They nodded to each other in acknowledgement and parted ways.

As soon as his informant had said the words, Jiraiya knew where he had to go. If his hunch was correct, the man would be in the ruins of Uzushiogakure no Sato. The eighteenth anniversary of the village’s destruction would be in _days_ and if Jiraiya didn’t make it by then there would be no telling where the bounty hunter would be after that.

Normally a trip from Suna to the Island that used to be Whirlpool Country would’ve been nearly a week walking but determination carried Jiraiya far. The youngest of the Sannin was there in three days, arriving late into the night moments before the date of the once great Uzushiogakure’s fall. 

There was hardly anything left. Buildings had been trashed, crumbled into pieces or _gone_ with no trace. The years of abandonment left what little paint that was left among the rubble, once bright greens and blues and oranges, reds and whites now chipped and dull, bleached away from the light of the sun. Years of rain had undoubtedly washed away the blood that had once littered the streets and Konoha, as its once-ally, had buried the dead while the survivors of the fall scattered. Even in absolute _ruin_ the village that had once been known for its sealing practices was beautiful. A ghost town with so much history and such amazing shinobi. The Shodaime Hokage’s wife and the Yondaime’s both hailed from this village and even if Jiraiya’s godson never got to see or experience it, it was his heritage as well.

He wandered the broken, empty streets of the village until dawn looking for the bounty hunter to no avail. If he _was_ there then he was hiding, but it was more likely that he wasn’t, which meant that there was _another_ home and _another_ anniversary somewhere else. That was what he thought, at least, until he’d made it to the center of the village, home to a great fountain with beautifully carved men and women commanding the sea. It was mostly crumbled by now and the once pearlescent white of the statue was now mostly brown and green with dirt and moss and algae but what interested the toad sage most was the person sitting on the nearly-untouched part of the fountain. 

He was perched on the edge of the once-glorious fountain and heart of Uzushio, legs crossed and meditating, not moving an inch. It could mean a few things; that he didn’t consider Jiraiya a threat, that he wasn’t aware of the toad sage’s presence (though he doubted it, no S-Rank shinobi would be that unaware of his surroundings, ever), or simply that he didn’t attack without first being provoked.

He was thin, thinner than most healthy shinobi with his cheekbones sharp and cheeks drawn in just slightly too much, but it was more than clear that he was toned and strong. There were deep purple rings beneath his eyes that, despite being closed, seemed to droop. He didn't sleep much, maybe a couple hours a night at most and his diet was poor. Jiraiya wondered if it was simply the result of hunting S-Rank shinobi or if it were something else. He didn’t seem armed though so perhaps he wasn’t planning on a fight. The white haired man tried not to be grateful for it.

His clothes brought Jiraiya back to the old, classic Uzushio he’d seen on one of his first travels and hung loosely on the man’s body. He was wearing typical black shinobi pants with bandages wrapped around his right thigh and up his ankles and soles of his feet and dipped under his black shinobi sandals. 

His top and jacket both dyed with colors typical of Uzushio nin back in when it was at its best. Over ¾ sleeve fishnet armor he wore a mid-sleeve, kimono-style shirt, dyed deep teal--almost black in the dark shade--with red-orange Uzumaki spirals on each shoulder. It was fastened loosely, exposing his fishnet-covered chest, just below his ribs with a surprisingly clean off-white obi belt that was trimmed with blue scrolls like the sky at high noon and the sea at night.

His hitai-ate hung from his neck, Jiraiya wondered if he ever used it as a headband to keep his thick bangs from falling in his face.

His long hair, tied tight in a high ponytail with long bangs framing his face, was the color of old blood, not quite dry but darker than what it looked like fresh. The kind that was _thick_ and tacky. Darker than Kushina’s had been, _much_ darker, and more vibrant than Mito’s had been in her youth--it reminded him of a student he’d had only longer. The reds of Garnets in the sun clashed with the moon pale shade of his skin and the silvery pink scars covering it. He could barely see them against the light tone of his skin but they were there, a few across his face, a thick one going down his neck, hiding behind his hitai-ate, and a few scattered across what parts of his arms and chest were visible. 

More than the scars, though, were the _seals_ that were tattooed over his skin, peeking out from under his clothing. Some appeared to be storage seals modified to work over the flesh of his body and others made less sense. They were drawn over his arms, ending just before his wrist, and he could barely see some over his chest and likely over his stomach as well.

Seeing seals on people was nothing new to Jiraiya _per say_ but a storage seal placed anywhere but a _sealing scroll_ was unheard of because it wasn’t supposed to be done, wasn’t supposed to be _possible_. Appearances alone already determined that the man before him with the Uzushio hitai-ate around his neck and garnet-red hair was most likely an Uzumaki and Jiraiya briefly wondered if any of the seals that had been suited specifically to Uzumaki blood had survived the destruction.

“You know,” The man suddenly spoke, voice rough but not too deep in pitch, and Jiraiya stiffened slightly. “It’s rude to stare.”

His tone was light but it was disconcerting nonetheless. It was only now that Jiraiya noticed his pale eyelids were now shaded orange and yellow that complimented his hair nicely and he nearly choked because _how had he not noticed that he’d been gathering nature energy?_

He rose from his seat on the fountain, hair hanging just above the backs of his knees, and he opened his eyes. Orange-gold irises peered between his shaded lids as he readjusted to the light of the sun and his distinctly _square_ pupils seemed to stare through Jiraiya.

“I’m guessing you want an explanation then.” Jiraiya could only sputter because _what?!_

The man, sage, sighed deeply and released his sage mode. The oranges and yellows that shaded his eyelids faded and when he re-opened his eyes they were medium blue-violet and seemed to shine brighter than what should’ve been possible for such a color. Faded by war and pain but so, completely alive _._

JIraiya nodded his head shakily, torn between anger and shock, and the man beamed at him before turning to walk to one of the last remaining buildings in the village ruins.

“Come on,”

Jiraiya followed the redhead into the mustly, barely standing remains of a building that had once held an underground library and record room. He was wary to trust him, mapping out ways to escape in case of an ambush or collapse, but followed silently.

He bit into his thumb and unsealed the door leading to the hidden room, something only one with Uzumaki blood could do, and entered with Jiraiya not far behind as he made his way deep into the underground tunnels of Uzushio.

_What the hell is happening here?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it's not clear, Jiraiya isn't referring to Kaeru by any name is because he's not sure about him just yet and before that reveal the rumors going around were surrounding his last name and abilities. 
> 
> And no, I'm not going to be ripping off PrincessofWhiteSnow's idea with the seal of truth thing. This will be a bit different, though not _entirely_ dissimilar, but you'll have to wait until next friday for that.
> 
> I'm aiming for weekly updates here, guys, and I'll do my best to stick to that but if it had to move to bi-monthly instead after Quarantine is lifted I apologize ahead of time.
> 
> See you next Friday, loves!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo~


	3. Uzumaki Kaeru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto wakes up not entirely sure if the seal worked, the Bijuu are out cold and waking up one by one, and inadvertantly becomes an S-Rank Bounty Hunter.
> 
> Oops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got out of hand really fast. There are a few parts I'm not happy with but I felt they were necessary to keep them in. Next chapter is where we _finally_ get to the good stuff--Kaeru in Konoha.
> 
> Just a quick warning though, Naruto changes names within the chapter. I tried to make it smooth but if it isn't, you know ahead of time.
> 
> I don't remember if I left all of them in but I also left a few easter eggs about my characterizing process for Naruto/Kaeru. Let me know if you find them in the comments!
> 
> Anyway...
> 
> It's 9.3k words guys, get ready!
> 
> Onto the chapter!

**Chapter 2: Uzumaki Kaeru**

* * *

The jump hadn't been painful, the light was bright and he was unconscious before he could really _feel_ anything. Waking up likely would've been painful in the past but years of barely having enough time or chakra to heal and constantly being injured desensitized him to most physical pain these days. He was in a forest, surrounded by trees and brush and it was alive. He could hear animals and moving water. As far as they'd known, the Elemental Nations had been reduced to _ash_ so any kind of life, even if it wasn't human, was there was no way for him to know if he'd been teleported through _space_ or _time_ or both. If it had worked, there was no way for him to tell how far back he was and if it didn't he had no way of knowing _where_ he was. It would remain a mystery until he found _something_. A single shinobi. A village. _Anything._

He stood shakily, bracing himself on a tree as his muscles decided to loosen and work properly. There was no way for Naruto to know how long he'd been laying on the forest floor, but from the impression his body had left in the grass and the ache in his muscles, he guessed it was a while. Likely a few days. The lack of activity in his mindscape was also telling. So much chakra had gone into the seal it was a wonder he didn't have to draw energy from _star alignments_ or something and the Bijuu sealed within him seemed out for the count. At least for the time being.

Being alone wasn't a new concept to Naruto, but after _not_ being alone and isolated for over twelve years it was hard to stomach. Here he was _truly_ alone. Everyone was dead, the versions he _knew_ and had _grown_ with were, at least, and he didn't even have the Bijuu to keep him company. They were still there, he could feel them clearly, but they were all so chakra-exhausted it was a wonder any of them survived at all. He was grateful to them for that, since they're probably the reason he'd lived to end up wherever he was. But they weren't _awake_ , he couldn't talk to them or really do anything beyond watch them as they regained chakra.

Shoving down his emotional angst, no doubt Kurama would have something to say about it later-likely in a desperate attempt to get him to crack a smile, no matter how much he denied it-he pressed forward. He had to figure out not only _where_ he was but _when_ he was as well. Since he'd been passed out for what was probably days and no one had taken him prisoner or killed him it was safe to assume he wasn't particularly close to any village-or at the very least, he'd been teleported to a location that had managed to avoid entirely.

He treaded carefully, hyper aware of everything around him. He wasn't in sage mode, but that didn't mean he couldn't still feel everything. It was something he'd gotten good at during the war since having time to sit completely still to gather nature chakra wasn't always an option. Being able to sense negative emotion helped too. It was something that had proven helpful against Madara and the Juubi, though it became less necessary when their enemy was on a path of destruction and never slept.

He wandered for days before realizing he was on an island and not a peninsula and when he'd stumbled across a village, ruins overgrown and sunbleached, he'd felt like he died inside because _everything was still destroyed_. When he looked closer, taking the time to notice the once bright colors and prominent Uzumaki spiral on torn flags and faded from broken buildings, he managed to find an ounce of hope that _maybe_ there was a chance. As far anyone in his time had known, Uzushiogakure and the island the ruined village rested on had sunk into the sea as a result of the rabbit goddess's wrath. Yet here it was, still destroyed, but _here._

He'd never been able to visit the remains of his mother's village before the war. Jiraiya had planned to take him, probably, likely after the man finally told him about his parents. However, he had no doubt the man would have done it eventually. It was _beautiful_ , even in ruins, and he couldn't help but wish that he was experiencing it with the pervy sage, himself.

When all the past Hokage had been resurrected he'd learned that he was supposed to learn the truth about his family when he turned sixteen. Jiraiya had died months before his birthday and he'd ended up learning about his parentage before then anyway when he'd almost released Kurama in his fit of rage when he'd fought Pain. Naruto didn't think he'd ever truly known anger until Jiraiya's death, now that he'd thought about it. He'd felt the sadness that came from overwhelming loneliness, likely better than most people ever could. He'd felt the _frustration_ at being overlooked and hated, at everyone thinking they were _superior_ and that he was some kind of demon. But anger, _true_ anger without even Kurama's influence, hadn't been something he'd ever felt before. Especially not at someone he'd considered family. When Tsunade had told him about the toad sage's death he'd never been so angry at another person. Not Sasuke, or the villagers, or _anyone_. The anger and grief Jiraiya's death had caused was beyond anything he'd ever felt before. It was incapacitating and only support from Iruka had been enough to get him back up again.

He was doing his best not to allow himself to fall back into that spiral of grief. To control his emotions better so he could _fix this_. But after so much loss, it was hard not to allow himself to go numb numb. Now, at least, he could finally say he understood just what Sasuke and Kakashi had been feeling when they'd experienced their own losses. His heart panged at the reminder, that brief kiss with Sasuke flashing through his mind and the dam finally _broke._

Tears flowed down his face like _rivers_ as he remembered every single one of his fallen comrades. Good times and bad flashed through his mind and his knees buckled beneath him and he just _sobbed_. Blood red hairs stuck to his pale, wet skin as he weeped for the first time since he was fifteen and lost Jiraiya. Crying wouldn't bring back those he'd lost, he knew, it wouldn't help him save anyone faster or take the pain away, but that didn't mean that _finally_ letting go of nearly _ten years_ of grief didn't feel good. It felt like hours, just sitting there in the middle of rubble weeping, saying the names of those he'd lost like a broken record as he remembered every second he'd known them. In some ways it felt like a weight off his shoulders, his emotions no longer weighing him down like an anchor to the ocean floor but in other ways he'd felt worse. If this had worked then the people he'd known and loved and fought beside were gone, and would never exist and to try to delude himself into thinking that seeing them again _alive_ and not caught in a war wouldn't destroy him all over again would be pointless. But despite that, _forgetting_ who they'd been was something he would never be able to do. Even if he _did_ go back to Konoha and have to face the young, inexperienced _children_ they were now he wouldn't let himself forget the ones who _died for him_. He couldn't. Not after this.

* * *

Eventually, Naruto didn't know how long it'd been, his sobs were reduced to snivels and his legs began once again supporting his weight. The tears stopped flowing and he pressed on, looking for _anything_ that could help him. He was too weak to defeat _anything_ as he was, wouldn't be able to do any real damage until he and the Bijuu recovered their chakra, and was almost entirely unarmed. Supplies began running low not long before the jump and nearly everything they'd had left had been given to him. Unfortunately, most of it was damaged or dull. It'd been barely enough to get by at war and would never hold up outside of it. Not when Akatsuki was still out there and Nukenin could find him at any given moment.

Through days of searching the ruins of Uzushiogakure, Naruto found a number of things. The first was a sealed door in what was once the Uzumaki Clan Compound. The seal was easy enough to figure out and his Uzumaki blood was all he needed to release it. The tunnel the door revealed was long and dark and led to his second discovery. A _huge_ library filled with Uzumaki secrets, techniques, everything he never had the chance to learn and everything his mother never finished learning before being brought to Konoha. He spent hours looking through the scrolls and books, made copies and notes of several things, but was never able to find anything on the Uzumaki ever accomplishing time travel through seals. He found information on Uzumaki style Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, Fuuinjutsu and even found Ninjutsu techniques created and utilized by the Uzumaki alone. It was fascinating and Naruto spent hours learning _his clan's_ secrets and days after that perfecting them. Shadow clones were difficult to maintain at first but his chakra slowly returned and he was able to learn _decades_ worth of techniques and history in a number of weeks.

The last thing he found was a silver hitai-ate plate, stamped with the Uzumaki spiral and symbol of Uzushio. Naruto unsealed his hitai-ate from his arm, he couldn't risk wearing it in case he was caught, and carefully removed the leaf-stamped plate. He resealed the plate that had come from his surrogate brother's forehead protector, the only thing he had left of the first man to _change_ and truly see him for who he was and not the fox sealed within him. After, he carefully slotted the Uzushio plate into place before tying it on like a headband to keep his long bangs out of his eyes. It was the first step in establishing his new identity.

Shukaku was the first of the Bijuu within him to wake up. He was grumpy and protective but Naruto was unable to solidly confirm anything, much to the tanuki's chagrin. By then, at least, Naruto had finally gathered enough strength to survive with only Sasuke's- _his_ sword, Taijutsu and a few Ninjutsu he could manage without chakra exhaustion. While looking throughout the village he'd noticed several Uzushio artifacts had been missing, Kinjutsu scrolls that had been in the Uzukage's office building. From his own time, he knew that Kumo had been majorly behind the raid and he briefly wondered if just going up to the Raikage and demanding such things back would work. It likely wouldn't and he ended up deciding that sneaking in and stealing it back would work better. It took him another week of preparations before he was ready to leave.

Before he left the ruins of Uzushiogakure, after finally washing off years of grim (despite not having soap) he looked in the water-the closest thing he had to looking in a mirror in _years_ -and saw himself for the first time since the resealing of Kurama and the others. The first thing he thought of, upon seeing himself, was that he looked more like his mother than he ever had before. When he'd first met her, her chakra impression, he'd found out that he'd inherited her face. His head, cheekbone, nose and mouth shapes had all come from her and her clan. His hair was a darker red than his mother's and Mito-sama's had been but the color was no less vibrant. It made him look like a true, pure Uzumaki and would work well for his cover. His eyes were no longer as bright a blue as they'd once been, settling on a clear blue violet and his skin was no longer as tan as it had been before. His whisker marks had scarred over, the pink marks were barely visible through the pale of his skin-he found several scars, actually, from wounds even the Bijuu couldn't heal and the _one_ Kurama had refused to heal completely. It was new since Kurama, before the war, had never left him injured for long.

* * *

In some ways it was relieving to see that there was no way for a random shinobi to say that they were the same person. He looked different enough that even if he and the Naruto from this time stood side by side there was a clear distinction between them. No one could argue that they were anything but family and that's how it needed to be. But losing his identity, his hair color, skin tone and eye color had come from his father and now he had _none_ of them. It hurt more than he'd expected to actually _see_ it and the fact that he'd soon be forced to abandon the _final_ connection to the man he'd considered his hero when he was a child and to his mast, Jiraiya: his name. When Obito had sent him and Sakura to the _fake_ world, losing his name had _hurt_ because his name had become his identity. He was Uzumaki Naruto but he couldn't be. Not anymore.

It was the major reason for choosing the name he did. Kaeru. Frog. Both his father and his master had been toad summoners and it was the closest he'd get to keeping that connection. The name had been Shikamaru's idea, part of the many plans they'd laid out before completing the seal and he was grateful.

When he finally left the fallen village he was no longer _Uzumaki Naruto_ , _Shinobi of Konoha_. He left as _Uzumaki Kaeru_ , one of the last shinobi loyal to Uzushio. Before he could do _anything_ , though, he needed money and after a week of doing the equivalent of C and D ranked missions for non-shinobi villages, he _finally_ could pay for proper clothes and weapons. It was the first reassurance that he'd gone back far enough to stop the war, but it wouldn't be proof until he saw something that could measure the time.

He commissioned his clothes to look like proper Uzushio clothes, loose and flowy like water and a mix of neutral and cool colors. His fishnet armor didn't do much besides interrupt the view of his seals but over that he donned a dark teal kimono shirt with red-orange spirals on the sleeves and bound with a pearl white obi that was trimmed with gold and blue scrolls (big enough to cover Kurama's seal) His right thigh was bandaged over his tight-but-flexible grey-black shinobi pants, and his shins were bandaged beneath the black open-heel shinobi sandals that covered his feet. Each part of his outfit carefully chosen to appear to be an Uzushio native.

He'd taken to painting his nails too. It was a small luxury, something he hadn't done _before_ the war but after years of living in cramped bunkers, rarely able to _clean_ himself properly, he wanted to enjoy everything he could. They were most frequently painted black, but every once and while he tried to add color as well.

When he was finally back on his feet, both in terms of Chakra and money, he was off in search of _anything_ to give him even a sliver more of an advantage against Tobi. His Kamui was a problem, even if they'd eventually figured it out but without the others there to assist him it would be a challenge. If Kaeru could find _anything_ in the missing Uzushio artifacts that could help him he'd be in a better place.

Before he did anything, though, he checked up on Konoha. Kaeru stayed a good distance away at first, somewhere he had a clear view of the four heads on the Hokage mountain. Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen and Minato. No Tsunade. That meant, at least, that the Chunin Exams hadn't occurred yet. When he'd gotten closer, careful to keep his presence hidden through a mix of specially designed seals and chakra masking, he'd seen himself wearing brown shorts and an orange vest and _bolted_ out of there. He was young, maybe eight or nine at the most, and as much as he would've loved to give his younger self what he always wanted-a family-his first priority was preventing the Fourth, and last, Great Shinobi War.

Before leaving, after night fell over his home village, Kaeru snuck into Danzo's home. The man was a threat and no matter how much he _thought_ what he was doing was best, it most certainly was _not_ and the elder was dangerous to _Naruto_ and the village. The seal he placed was slow acting, something that would poison him over time and as cruel as Kaeru felt for doing it, he couldn't stick around to kill the man quickly. If it _looked_ like a murder, there would be even more suspicions within the village. At least this way they could play it off as _natural_.

It took a week to leave him completely bedridden and if Kaeru also blew the lid off of the Root Foundation, that was his secret.

After that he headed to the larger villages who had once had it out for Uzushio, who'd _feared_ them and their power.

* * *

In the end he'd been mostly sneaky enough to avoid getting caught, but despite his efforts, he'd inadvertently made himself the subject of many rumors-mostly starting from Kumo, where he'd been seen for the first time. They never found out his "given" name, but word of his surname and what he'd been doing spread quickly.

His hair, in all the styles he'd learned to keep it manageable, had become what he was known by. Blood red and longer than what most Shinobi would be comfortable with-enemies fought dirty and long hair was an easy target when you weren't constantly aware of it. Kaeru had decided to keep it long when Kakashi had told him just how much it had made him look like his mother. He'd told her once, that he'd wished his hair was like hers and, despite how much he missed the sunny blond hair he'd grown up with, he'd never found something so superficial so useful. Had his hair been the bright blond of his father he might not have gotten as far with Kumo as he had-not to mention what Iwa and Kiri would do if they thought there was another Namikaze, there was a reason why Naruto was never given his father's name after their deaths.

After months of searching he'd gotten out with scrolls and books, most of which contained information he already knew and he'd only ever been more frustrated when he was forced to deal with Sasuke and Sai when he was a kid. The little information that had been new wasn't anything that could help him against something as powerful as Obito's sharingan.

* * *

He became a bounty hunter almost a year after his jump to the past.

It wasn't something he'd done on _purpose_ , especially with a fierce nickname like the _Bloody Whirlpool_. It was awesome, but Kaeru had really only been trying to be a good sumaritan. It was _their_ fault for ambushing him. The fact that those first kills had been a pair of _immortals_ was the real reason for the name, though most assumed it was his hair (Kaeru wasn't entirely sure that it _wasn't_ ).

Kaeru had been prepared to leave Yugakure to make his way back to Kumo when familiar black cloaks covered with red clouds appeared before him. Faced with the Zombie Combo, Kaeru remembered Asuma and what the two of them had done to him and what his death had done to Shikamaru and his teammates. There was no way around a bloody battle. In order to kill Kakuzu he'd needed to take down _all_ of his hearts and Hidan had to be _dismembered_ to remove the threat. Fighting them had been easier than he remembered it and if Kaeru had been _unaware_ of his strength he might've wondered why everyone had so much trouble dealing with them. They were S-Rank nin for a reason, but Kaeru had taken down stronger opponents in the past and had faced a war worse than any of them had ever seen. They were nothing.

Kakuzu had been the first to go down. The pair worked well together but they were no match for Kaeru's prowess with his clones and Kakuzu's hearts were quick to stop under their overwhelming numbers.

Hidan had proved slightly more difficult, Shikamaru had dealt with him in his time and he never really knew much about him. He ended up throwing some well-aimed senbon to paralyse him and, after removing his head, slapped a number of exploding tags on his body and blew it up. He buried the pieces across Steam Country and took his head, still screaming and cursing, back to the village. _His_ reasoning for returning their heads to their villages was so word of their deaths would spread, to alleviate some of the fear their threat created. Hidan's head wouldn't survive for long without blood flow, oxygen _or_ food and water and even if it did, a head was hardly a threat. The men at the desk looked a bit green as they took the head, and a good look at his bloody clothes, but brought it to their prison quickly. The money he received, while it wasn't something he'd thought about when bringing it back, was significant. More than anything he'd managed to make taking freelance missions and much more aligned with his goal. It was also much less tedious than escorts and Kaeru always loved a challenge though he still hadn't quite decided to go after the rest of them yet.

Going all the way to Taki to return a _head_ hadn't been fun but it _had_ given him an accidental in with one of the Jinchuuriki.

Knowing Taki was the village of Chomei's last Jinchuuriki he'd felt obligated to make sure the village was aware of the threat the Akatsuki posed to her. When he'd met her in his own time, she'd been about his height and a year or so older so seeing the mint-haired girl so young when he was nearly twenty six was strange. He'd felt obligated to help in some way, as a Jinchuuriki and as a _human_. He promised to protect her and the others like her from _them_. Before he left he encouraged her to become a great Shinobi and told her he'd see her again. He wasn't sure when, but he would.

And If he gave the leader of Fuu's village a _small_ talking to about how to properly treat a Jinchuuriki before heading out, that was between them.

He didn't end up going to Kumo until _much_ later and when he did his stay was brief. He'd found something of an ally in Killer B and both he and Gyuuki nearly _cried_ when they saw him again for the first time in years. They wouldn't become actual friends until his next visit, not that he knew it at the time, but just seeing him alive had been good enough for Kaeru.

* * *

Deidara and Sasori were next.

The fight was quick and despite Kaeru's reluctance to kill the blond teen, he knew it had to be done. Forced to join or not, Deidara was loyal and a threat to Gaara. Nothing he could say or offer him at this point would change his mind. He made sure it was painless and told the Tsuchikage as much. Onoki hadn't been happy with him but in the end he'd understood. Kaeru also warned of the danger the group posed to the Jinchuuriki and to make sure that until the threat is taken care of, they stay safe. He hadn't said anything about Konoha but he hoped that, in getting the countries to band together against the Akatsuki, it would _start_ to change things. Nothing anyone did could ever _fix_ the problems between them, but they could move past it if they wanted to. If they truly wanted peace they'd at least _try_. He'd said as much before leaving.

Sasori had proved to be more of a challenge, if only through his own fear of death, but the man was no match for Kaeru's determination to protect Gaara. Nothing the man did was enough to drag the battle out beyond a few minutes. It was something he'd wanted to do since their mission to rescue Gaara when he'd returned from training. This man's grandmother had sealed Shukaku within him-improperly-and he'd been a part of the duo that had taken him and killed him. This Gaara wouldn't go through that, he was sure, and _this_ Chiyo would be given a chance to rectify herself in a way that wasn't suicide.

When he went to Suna to turn in Sasori of the Red Sand's head, he made sure to let Chiyo know personally. She'd lashed out at him and Kaeru brought up her history with Suna's Jinchuuriki-he'd made up an excuse for knowing it-and when he told her what Sasori and the rest of the organization was planning on doing with the Bijuu she'd relented. Kaeru understood, probably better than most at this point, the loss she felt. Konoha's White Fang had killed her son and daughter-in-law and now he'd taken her last connection to them, she only had her brother. He didn't like it, but it had to be done. He would've _loved_ if there'd been another way, but with only six members left he couldn't let it stop him.

* * *

Meeting Gaara again had been more painful than he would've liked. He lost him twice and the older redhead had been the first person to truly understand the pain he'd faced his entire life. He would've liked to leave changing him to his counterpart, to give them the bond he and his Gaara shared. He couldn't just leave Gaara, lonely and unloved, to suffer until then, not after actually _seeing_ him.

Flashbacks flooded his mind. Meeting him with Konohamaru and his team, his fight with Lee, the altercation at the hospital, their fight in the forest and every interaction after that. When they _finally_ became friends, when he died, when the ex-Jinchuuriki tried to forgive Sasuke for _him_ , how he'd saved him when Kurama was extracted, how he'd _died for him_ , how they couldn't bring him back. It was a lot for one look into his young, guarded and deadly teal eyes.

"What are you looking at." It had been worded as a question but was clearly a demand.

When he'd taken too long to answer the sand came flying at him. Kaeru didn't flinch, barely even _blinked_. He didn't show any fear because no matter how dangerous Gaara was there was no way for him to actually hurt him. Kaeru was too powerful for Gaara to ever actually _win_ but he'd never do anything to hurt the Suna Jinchuuriki, ever.

He raised a hand and the sand around him formed a wall, effectively blocking Gaara's attack. It wasn't something he could naturally do like Gaara could, truth be told it had been his first time actually _using_ it, but it was something Shukaku's presence had gifted him with. He knew it would be enough to make Gaara pause, even if it took a few blocks for him to truly _see_. The boy, eyes wide and filled with frustration, shot more sand at him and civilians looked at the scene in horror but Kaeru ignored them.

"I understand you know," He didn't need to explain what, Gaara clearly knew.

Kaeru's sand fell and Gaara's froze.

The pain of loneliness and loss and the hatred that it breeds was something both redheads were intimately familiar with. Even though Kaeru had never had his village try to assassinate him, that he knew of, the scorn had and discrimination had hurt more than any physical pain he'd ever experienced.

He wasn't quite sure what he could say here, surrounded by all the spectators, that could help him emotionally but he knew how to help him physically.

"Your seal... I can feel his Chakra bleeding through. I can help you, if you'd like. You'd never have to worry about him taking over in your sleep again." He spoke softly and smiled painfully. He'd missed Gaara so much and even if _this_ Gaara was never Kazekage he could still be the great Shinobi he'd become in Kaeru's time.

The distrust that poured off Gaara was so thick it was nearly palpable and Kaeru knew the only way to convince the boy to let him would be to make him understand.

"There's an organization called the Akatsuki, made up of S-Rank missing nin, currently planning on extracting the nine Bijuu from their hosts. Today I turned in the head of the fourth member I've taken out in order to keep the nine of you safe," and to save the entire Shinobi world but that wouldn't matter much to Gaara as he was. "As a Fuuinjutsu master and a descendant of the first Jinchuuriki, I know better than most that what you contain doesn't define you. Being a Jinchuuriki doesn't make you a monster or unloveable."

Kaeru took a deep breath as he continued and he could see Gaara waver.

"Right now the quality and state of your seal is driving _him_ crazy, which is driving _you_ crazy. I can fix it so neither of you are bothered anymore. Who knows, you may even learn to work together at some point,"

"Why would you do that for someone who just tried to kill you?" He'd fallen to his knees and it was clear he was trying so hard to resist, out of fear of the betrayal that could come after like all the times before.

"I've always believed people deserved a chance for redemption. My best friend abandoned everything in search of power and I fought tooth and nail to get him back. Everyone told me it was too late for him but somehow I managed to get through anyway. I was able to turn so many of my enemies into some of my closest friends. You're young and yes, you've killed, but you have your entire life ahead of you and the power you have can also _save_ people if you want it to."

Kaeru had spent his entire life wanting very few things. He'd wanted a family, he'd wanted acknowledgement, and he'd wanted to be able to _help_ people. Never had he ever wished the pain of loneliness he'd suffered on anyone else, even if he wished they'd understood and he knew Gaara had wanted many of the same things. Even if he was too scared to ask for them, too scared of the betrayal he could face for trusting them.

"Can you really help?" Kaeru had never seen Gaara looking so much like a child and it _hurt_.

He offered the raccoon-eyed boy a pale hand.

"Of course."

He ended up fixing Gaara's seal _and_ his relationship with his siblings.

Perhaps it was because he was an adult, someone strong that trusted Gaara wouldn't hurt him, but the ten year old seemed to _cling_. It was precious. The boy had asked that he be there when he apologized to his brother and sister and actually opened up to him. The Shukaku inside Kaeru was angry with himself, that he'd prevented Gaara from having a normal childhood and that despite that, this Gaara didn't hold it against him.

They talked about their pasts and Kaeru dropped a few hints to solidify his cover story of being an Uzumaki. He couldn't say that _he_ was a Jinchuuriki but he could empathise with him in the way Gaara had needed since his uncle tried to kill him. Gaara told him about his childhood and Kaeru offered to teach him how to properly forge a partnership between himself and his Bijuu when he was ready and about proper bonds and when he had to leave Gaara had nearly begged that he stay.

Kaeru had changed the way people saw him, changed _him_ , and he finally found someone who never looked at Gaara with anything other than fondness-even if it was pained at times. It was the first time Kaeru had actually wanted to stay anywhere since seeing his counterpart but he couldn't and the sadness on Gaara's face was heartbreaking. Instead of staying, he agreed to visit as often as he could as long as the redhead agreed to try to fix things with his father. He warned that it may take a while, but he _would_ be back. He never went back on his word, after all.

Gaara smiled for what was probably the first time in years and Kaeru grinned back.

Just like he did with Fuu, Kaeru spoke to the Kazekage, Rasa, about making Gaara a weapon. He wasn't sure if he actually had gotten through to the man enough to prevent his eventual alliance with Orochimaru but it would have to be enough. At the very least, he hoped he would actually try to be a father to his youngest son.

With a sad goodbye to the Sand Siblings, Kaeru left Suna to begin tracking down the next pair of Akatsuki agents.

* * *

When he decided to remove the Akatsuki agents individually, Kaeru had already known that killing Nagato, Konan and Itachi was out of the question.

Hearing the truth about the Uchiha Massacre from Itachi's mouth, hearing the love he so clearly had for his brother and for his village made the thought impossible. He knew, though, that the older brother of his once-best friend was sick, fatally so. He hoped Tsunade would be able to save him, even if it really only prolonged the inevitable long enough for Sasuke to learn the truth before he regretted it. If not, he hoped _he_ could do it.

When he killed Kisame, Kaeru only narrowly managed to dodge Itachi. He refused to fight the Uchiha more than absolutely necessary, to kill him or even injure him too severely. The teen wouldn't let him get a word in but it didn't matter, he had no doubt he'd see him again. He removed the fish-man's head and quickly sealed it and Samehada away before getting out of there. Itachi had been known as the Uchiha Genius for a reason and regardless of the advantage Kaeru had, he would not kill an innocent man over something like _this_.

It was only when he returned the head and sword to Kiri did Isobu kindly remind him that Obito had Yagura, the Mizukage and the Sanbi Jinchuuriki, under a genjutsu. That the masked Uchiha's manipulations were the reason for Kiri's state of upheaval.

Breaking Obito's hold on Yagura was easy but explaining everything had taken much longer. He was Kaeru's age, despite his looks, and understood and handled it better than most would've but the situation wasn't ideal. His village hated him, more than they already had because of Isobu, because of a maniac seeking world domination. It was clear that Kiri was skeptical of the explanation, they had no reason to trust the _stranger_ who'd come to the village with a severed head and believing Yagura after everything seemed out of the question. The Mizukage was determined and made a deal. He'd remain Mizukage long enough to clean up the mess Obito had made and after that he'd pass the hat down. He'd asked that they only give him a chance and had bowed to them.

The citizens of Kiri agreed and Yagura was grateful enough for Kaeru's help that he'd offered him citizenship. The Uzumaki declined, he wasn't sure he'd ever settle down in a village (if he did, it would be Konoha but he wasn't going to say that) but he was grateful for the invitation and offered his services whenever they were necessary. As long as the request didn't interfere with his goal.

Not everyone in Kiri was convinced or happy, but the civil war subsided for the time being and Yagura worked hard to earn the trust of his village. Both Kaeru and Isobu were proud to see that he wouldn't fall victim to the Akatsuki again.

* * *

The Ame Orphans were last. It had taken Kaeru months to find them and he'd almost forgotten that Nagato was currently crippled. They were both stubborn and after _hours_ of trying to convince them that _this_ Akatsuki would only end badly, that Nagato was family-however distant-and that _this_ wouldn't help the world find peace he got fed up. It wasn't something he'd wanted to use here, or on _them_. Especially after they'd taken so long to write out, but he was frustrated and didn't think it through. Kaeru slapped the memory seals on each of them and pushed just enough chakra into them to show Pain's assault on Konoha, his death, the war that followed and finally, _finally_ they understood. He'd released his Six Paths of Pain and Jiraiya had believed that Nagato's Rinnegan would save the world and the toads had referred to the pair of them as the _Children of Prophecy_ so Kaeru decided to trust them. So long as Obito didn't get his hands on them, they would be fine, but he _was_ able to give him something else.

He had a clone gather sage chakra while he explained as best as he was able what he was going to do, showing them the Sun Seal placed on his palm. They still looked skeptical despite him showing them the potential future. When Kaeru released the clones and accepted the sage chakra into his body, his eyes turning orange and pupil's turning toad-square with orange and yellow rings around them, before activating the power the Rikkudou Sannin had gifted him. His square pupils were divided by a slitted one and the pigment surrounding his eyes vanished. Kaeru would've preferred to be in one of his Kyuubi cloaks for the added power but with Kurama still passed out-despite nearly 18 months of sleep, though he could tell he'd be waking up soon-it wasn't an option. He was confident he'd be able to help him _enough_ without the fox's help, though he'd have liked to push it further.

He pressed his right palm, with the white seal, over Nagato's heart and he felt his chakra meet the Akatsuki leader's and _balance_. Kaeru wasn't a healer, not like Tsunade and Sakura had been, and he may not be able to give Nagato the mobility he'd once had but he could give him _something_ and that was enough. He was no longer dying, no longer so physically unhealthy that he _looked_ like he was dying, and in time-with some physical therapy-he'd be able to stand on his own as well.

"You need to hide, get as far away as you can until I can take care of Obito, because as long as he's out there and you're here, your eyes are in danger," He'd told him. "After that I'll help you figure out anything you want to do. If you want to see Jiraiya or go back to Ame or whatever... I'll help. Just remember what I told you about healing and keep yourselves and your eyes safe."

All he had left after that was to plan what to do with Obito and Kill Orochimaru. Itachi would hopefully see his chance for redemption by then. Before he did anything though, Kaeru decided to keep his promises.

* * *

He started off in Taki to visit Fuu and when he left, through Steam Country he heard rumors that a certain pervert was apparently hunting for a bounty hunter. Kaeru wasn't sure how to feel about that. He hadn't seen Jiraiya in nearly twelve years and no matter how much he missed him, it was a wound that never seemed to close completely.

This wasn't _his_ Jiraiya. He hadn't shared popsicles with him or trained with him or been forced to edit his horrible porn. He didn't have _any_ relationship with him and Kaeru didn't know if he'd be able to look at the man without breaking down and telling him everything.

So that's what he decided to do.

While he visited Gaara he dropped more hints knowing that one of the toad sage's most trusted informants was there. The anniversary of Uzushio's destruction was coming and it served as the perfect place to meet his godfather. He wondered if, perhaps, Jiraiya would be able to help him figure out what to do about Obito. If he'd be _willing._ He wondered if he could have _any_ kind of relationship with the man he'd considered a father/grandfather figure in the few years he'd known him.

At the very least, it was a chance to get into the village without getting in trouble... Hopefully.

* * *

Kaeru was gathering nature chakra on the remains of a fountain in what had once been the town square when he felt his father-figure's chakra. He didn't draw attention to himself, honestly it would probably be a more embarrassing introduction than the first one they had when he'd been twelve if he had. He didn't move, no matter how much he wanted to jump up and hug the man he'd missed so much he refrained, he had better self control than than now. No matter how much he'd rather do _anything_ other than sit there when someone he hadn't seen in nearly _twelve years_ was so close.

It took him two hours to find Kaeru and in that time he'd taken in and released enough sage chakra to tip him off but somehow _didn't_. The redhead wondered if it was because Jiraiya had never managed to perfect sage mode. He wondered if he'd be proud that _he_ had.

Kaeru kept his eyes closed but could feel the white haired man's stare burning through him. He wasn't worried about being vulnerable with the man, he was in no danger and even if he was, Kaeru had long since surpassed Jiraiya. It felt like hours but when a considerable amount of time had passed Kaeru broke it.

"You know," He could _feel_ Jiraiya tense and it almost made him laugh. "It's rude to stare."

When his sage mode finally balanced his eyelids turned orange and he opened his eyes to reveal his toad-like pupils. It was, at this point, the only way Jiraiya would even remotely believe him and even _then_ it was a stretch.

The staring continued and Kaeru stood, releasing the nature energy he'd built up for what was probably the tenth time that hour and sighed deeply.

"I'm guessing you want an explanation then." It wasn't a question, it was a fact and Jiraiya was clearly _choking_ on it.

The Toad Sannin nodded shakily and the Uzumaki could feel the anger and shock and confusion that battled within the older man and he grinned at him. Honestly, it was refreshing to be the one with the knowledge and the _Great Gama Sennin_ in the position where he wants to know _everything_.

He walked over to one of the few remaining entrances to the Uzumaki tunnels, oddly enough, within one of the few buildings still standing in the town square. When he couldn't sense Jiraiya behind him, he turned.

"Come on," He was suspicious, obviously, but Kaeru didn't think he could ever seriously hurt Jiraiya if he wanted to (Kurama definitely would've and _did_ before they became friends but that wasn't _him_ ).

He made sure the older man saw him place his blood over the seal, made sure he saw that it was the same seal it had always been, and made sure he saw it release. It was important to prove his identity.

He guided him deep into the tunnels, but didn't seal the door behind him in an attempt to garner a small amount of trust. When they _finally_ reached the room he'd been looking for, the silence between the two men was sufficiently awkward, he sat down at the table and looked Jiraiya in the eyes.

"The things I'm about to tell you are extremely important and I implore you to at least _listen_ before you make any conclusions or decisions,"

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"Alright," It was the first thing the man had said to him since he found him and he was _wrong_ because this whole thing was already so much worse than their original introduction.

"The current leader of what's left of the Akatsuki," Which was pretty much _nothing_ at this point. Itachi was the only member other than Obito and he had no doubt that would change soon too. "Is attempting to gather the tailed beasts from their hosts in order to resurrect the Juubi and Madara. He has been acting in Madara's stead for the last twelve years or so after being manipulated."

It was important to say that _most_ of Obito's actions weren't entirely his own. Seeing Rin die, and taking the circumstances out of context, had been what truly allowed Madara to control him. _This_ , what could happen if he continued? Obito never wanted that and he hoped he could still get through to him.

"If he succeeds it will propel the Elemental Nations into a war that will end in the destruction of _everything_. There will be no survivors."

Jiraiya scoffed and Kaeru was tempted to scold him because he _told_ him to _listen_ first.

"How do you figure that?" Fair point, the redhead supposed, it was a considerable stretch. But he hadn't gotten there yet.

"If the Juubi is revived, the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya will almost definitely be revived as well. If she is then the world is doomed, her wrath will drive her to the planet's complete destruction." While it was true that Zetsu was sealed, he had no way of knowing how long it would last and they currently had no way to kill him. White Zetsu had been destroyed by Sasuke's Susanoo but they never figured out how to kill Black Zetsu. Not for the first time he wondered if destroying the box would destroy them with it or simply release them.

"And what's your proof?" His skepticism was nearly tangible and it would only get worse from here.

Kaeru sighed and looked away as his brain provided unhelpful flashbacks. "Because I lived it. Because that's why I'm here."

He saw Jiraiya's laughter coming and while it was nice to hear the man's laugh again it also hurt because of how much _pain_ the war had caused. He didn't blame him, none of it made any sense, but the idea of _anyone_ belittling the suffering that war had caused still hurt because he'd lived it, he watched _everyone die_.

Instead of giving anything away, Kaeru pulled out a seal-similar to the one he'd used with Nagato and Konan. It would show more, the equivalent of a large-scale genjutsu/

"Do you know what this is?"

The seal master studied it carefully, observing every matrix it was made of.

"A genjutsu seal?"

The redhead nodded. "With this I will be able to show you my memories," He placed his finger on the allotted point and gestured for Jiraiya to do the same. "It's a double edged sword. I'll be just as involved as you if you're worried about an attack."

 _Finally_ the man placed his finger on the seal and they both eased chakra into it, getting sucked into Kaeru's memories.

They couldn't communicate, not if he wanted to only show Jiraiya the memories that mattered and not _everything_ , but he'd likely be able to feel everything Kaeru did as he relived everything. The good and the bad. The happy and the depressing. _All_ of it.

* * *

He started small. Back when he was twelve and the man knocked his tutor out cold-their first meeting. He smiled fondly at the memory of his innocence (Honestly what did Jiraiya think using euphemisms with someone as dense as he'd been was going to achieve?) and his _Oiroke no Jutsu_.

He showed their training with the Summoning Technique and his ride with Gamabunta.

He showed his younger self defeat Neji and defy his "fate" and how he'd defeated Gaara who'd been consumed by Shukaku. How he met Gamakichi and how the orange toad convinced the boss to help him.

The Sandaime's funeral and how they'd retrieved Tsundade. He remembered learning the Rasengan for the first time and how Baa-chan had given him Hashirama's necklace (he remembered how he'd _destroyed_ it)

He showed his fight with Sasuke in the Valley of the End, how he'd used Kurama's chakra and how Sasuke put a Chidori through his chest.

It started getting harder after that, showing him every important moment of their near-three year training trip and Tsunade telling him of Jiraiya's death. He showed the man how he'd lashed out and how Iruka-sensei had gotten him back on his feet. How he'd solved the code he'd left on Fukasaku's back by the man's writing quirks and how he'd become a sage.

He showed how Pein had flattened the village and how he _stopped him_. He showed how he almost released Kurama and how he met his father. He remembered Nagato and Konan and how Nagato had given the last of his life to bring back those he'd killed in the attack.

He showed the memorial he'd made with the flowered Konan had given him.

He showed his training with Killer B and how he'd finally gotten a handle on Kurama's chakra and got to meet his mother. How Kurama's chakra allowed him to sense White Zetsu's army hiding as members of the alliance. Then he showed the war, how finally, _finally_ , he and Kurama became partners. How, together, they tried to save the tailed beasts from Tobi and how they gave him their chakra.

He showed the casualties they faced just fighting _Tobi_. How Neji and so many others died because they were relying on _him_.

He showed how much they struggled just to _reveal Tobi's identity_ and how much it had hurt everyone to find out that it was _Obito._

The revival of the dead Hokage and how he was able to fight side-by-side with his father.

Madara's revival.

Kurama's extraction and the sealing of his Yin half, his whisker marks disappearing and his hair turning red, skin turning pale.

The Juubi's revival.

The Juubi's defeat and Kaguya's revival.

Every. Single. Death he'd witnessed following her revival and the sealing of the other tailed beasts until _he_ was the sole Jinchuuriki and less than twenty shinobi remained. Sasuke was blind and he and everyone else was weak with _just_ barely enough chakra to make the jump.

He showed Jiraiya the creation of the seal that brought him to this timeline, he showed their final goodbyes and the promises he made. He showed every painstaking step he'd taken that led them here and by the end he was _trembling._ He released the seal as his long repressed trauma was dragged to the surface for the first time in almost two years. His eyes were cold and emotionless but tears were still flowing down his pale cheeks just as fiercely as they had the first time he'd cried after the jump. He didn't scream, no matter how much he wanted to. He barely even whimpered. Kaeru just looked into the damp eyes of the only man he'd had time to mourn and waited.

"Who... Who are you?" Jiraiya's eyes were narrow but not like he was suspicious. He looked more like we was trying to see but his vision was blurred

Kaeru choked a half sob/half laugh at the sheer _ridiculousness_ of it all as he wiped his tears. Perhaps sharing all of his trauma had been a bad choice since he'd wanted to avoid causing his godfather pain but what's done was done.

"On the night of October 10th when a masked man dragged the Kyuubi from Uzumaki Kushina's seal and used him to attack the village. In order to save everyone, the Yondaime Hokage sealed the Bijuu into a newborn baby. _His_ newborn baby. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I am the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, and Red Hot Blooded Habanero, Uzumaki Kushina and Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune,"

Suspicions confirmed, Jiraiya damp dark eyed widened, almost comically so.

The redhead gave him a lopsided smile.

"Here, though, you can call me Uzumaki Kaeru."

It was dramatic and ridiculous and Kaeru _revelled_ in it because it'd been so long since he could be so carefree.

"You're really Naruto?" He was still processing and Kaeru hoped he wouldn't need to _suppress_ anything because Jiraiya's knowledge of the future was helpful.

"There is already a Naruto here and I won't take his name. I'm fairly certain that the future I'm saving isn't my own. My friends are dead, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let _this_ version become _me_." Kaeru realized he was rambling and almost felt nostalgic. "I know you're not _him_ , not the Jiraiya I lost, that none of the people here are those I lost and likely never will be but they deserve a life. Even if I can't be a part of it. That's why we're no longer the same."

"You're aware I was sent here to explore the possibility of inviting you into the village?" Jiraiya was still distant, but he seemed _less_ than he'd been before.

"Considering killing me could bring on an entirely different kind of war on Konoha, I figured it was the most likely option," He stared at the wall, dimly lit by the candles that never faded. "After all that you've learned today, will you? Orochimaru and Obito are all I have left to deal with, everyone else is either dead or no longer a threat...Possibly Kabuto too."

He wasn't expecting the answer to be _yes_. He figured the man would want the amalgamation of bad luck that Naruto had become when he turned into Kaeru and focus more on _his_ godson instead.

"I was sent to confirm your identity as an Uzumaki and determine whether or not you pose a threat to the village. If you met both of those requirements I was to extend the invitation. I think you've proven you are who you say... Worst comes to worst we check your fingerprints right?" His godfather gave a weak chuckle and Kaeru managed a smile.

"Actually, I have another question for you."

Kaeru tilted his head and his red hair fell over one of his eyes. "Hm? What?"

"In the memories you showed me, you signed the toad contract. Do you still have it?"

The redhead shrugged. "I never tried. The toads were important to me and if I _had_ and they were gone... I don't know what would've happened. Why? Have the toads been acting strange around you?"

If the toads here had somehow merged with the ones from his original time they would no doubt be _shocked_ , not to mention ecstatic to see him again. Tsunade and Naruto weren't the only ones affected by the loss, after all.

"About two years ago I tried to summon a messenger toad and got about ten others with him, including Shima-sama and Fukasaku-sama," If that was true then maybe...

"Have you looked at the contract since then?" Kaeru was frantic with hope and excitement.

Jiraiya shook his head and Kaeru desperately asked him to get it.

They left the tunnels and the older sage summoned Gama, who produced the scroll from his mouth.

They unrolled it carefully and looked at the name printed after Namikaze Minato's.

There in the messy writing Kaeru had one possessed as a kid was a name, but it wasn't _Uzumaki Naruto_.

No.

Where Uzumaki Naruto's name had once been, _Uzumaki Kaeru_ had taken its place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up a bit longer than I would've liked...It was supposed to be a brief recap of the events over the two years between the prologue and chapter 1 and then the full Jiraiya/Kaeru interaction into the trip back to Konoha.
> 
> The end kind of wrote itself and I like it so let me know what you think. It's a little bit different than planned but I think it will make the next chapter all the more interesting. Next up is the trip to Konoha and many many character introductions (kinda) so be ready. It will probably be long too.
> 
> Honestly they're probably only going to get longer from here.
> 
> Do you guys think I'm gonna save Obito or kill him? (It's not gonna change anything but I'm curious to know what you're thinking)
> 
> Comments make me happy! See you guys next week!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo~


	4. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaeru returns to Konoha.
> 
> Bonds start to form and emotions are felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure, this chapter was written pretty much entirely in a single night and is most definitely rushed. After I finish this story I'll come back and edit but if it's too terrible I'll fix it sooner (though it may take a while because I'm refusing to be lazy with these updates).
> 
> Also, I'm really bad at professional things that involve politics... So Kaeru's conversation with the Hokage was heavily inspired by both WOWWNB and Backslide's version of this interaction. I'll probably change it a bit later but I felt it was necessary to give credit where it was due.
> 
> We meet quite a few Konoha characters (though nowhere near the last of them) this chapter and start a lot of new bonds (with new people and old friends-now-strangers) and emphasizes how overwhelming it is to be in a village that Kaeru watched burn so... Be ready for a lot of that. I tried not to make it too sad though.

Chapter Three: Home

* * *

Kaeru agreed to go to Konoha.

He wasn't sure if he'd be staying but he'd, at the very least, hear the Hokage out. He and Jiraiya had decided that telling the Sandaime everything could wait, if they told him at all. Anyone else finding out was a risk. Telling (showing) Jiraiya had been a risk. Tobi would be livid at this point and with his Sharingan he was dangerous. For all Kaeru's power, the man was still skilled and a confrontation before a proper plan was formed could be deadly and not for Tobi.

To Hiruzen he'd simply be Uzumaki Kaeru, survivor of Uzushiogakure's destruction and S-Rank Bounty Hunter and distant cousin of Uzumaki Mito, Uzumaki Kushina and Uzumaki Naruto. He would never be the surrogate grandson he had been in his time. Even if he could he would never take that away from the Naruto of this time. For Kaeru, he'd been dead for fourteen years so being away now shouldn't be too much more difficult.

The same went for Konohamaru and the others.

They would never be his. He could develop new bonds with some of them, maybe even all of them but it would never be the same. In some ways he was glad, because that meant that they could never be replaced, but in other ways it hurt more than anything because he would never see them again.

Not for the first time, since arriving in the past, Kaeru wondered where he would go when he died. If he would be with those who died for him, who died because of him, or those he met here.

Kurama rumbled inside him as the dark thoughts began to swallow him. The fox wasn't awake yet, not entirely, but he could tell that his inner turmoil wasn't good or healthy. The redhead hoped his partner would wake up soon. He hadn't gone this long without speaking to the fox since he was fifteen and before that he hadn't even known he was there. He hated it. Shukaku and the others were amazing but Kurama had been with him since birth, even if he hadn't known it, and he needed him. If only for the sake of his sanity because despite his hateful exterior he was much like Kaeru. The fox cared deeply and protected fiercely and was much better at hiding it than Kaeru ever could be.

Jiraiya gave him a funny look and Kaeru avoided his eyes. There was no doubt the man had picked up on the despair leaking from him or the power that had ceased the onslaught of emotions that had started to consume him. The Toad Sannin was well aware of who he was, who he used to be, and what he contained. Despite seeing with his own eyes that the Kyuubi wasn't an evil, uncontrolled beast, it was still hard for the Toad Sannin to believe. Because even though he didn't see Kaeru or Naruto as the Bijuu itself, he still only thought of the beast that destroyed Konoha and killed his student and his wife. It was understandable. Kurama hadn't saved so many people here, hadn't helped defeat one of the most powerful enemies they'd ever faced.

The redhead gave the older man a hint of a smile. "It's nothing."

Jiraiya didn't believe him.

The Sannin decided to make the trip back as long as humanly possible and Kaeru was going to go insane. They'd stayed at three inns so far, on a trip that shouldn't have taken more than three days-one or two if they went with any sense of urgency-and they were only halfway to Konoha,

He loved being able to spend time with Jiraiya, he did. Being able to talk about everything that happened in the past, and while it wasn't the same it was nice. Probably the best thing that had happened to him since losing everything. However, this was getting ridiculous. He expected the distrust. Even knowing he was Naruto that didn't mean he couldn't be a threat and taking down five S-Rank shinobi and gaining alliances with every major nation (and some small ones) other than Konoha wasn't helping his case. He was still a stranger and his Konoha was still gone.

So when they were sitting in their room in the inn, he made the decision to open up about something that hurt marginally less than what he'd shown him days before. Talking about those he'd lost would always be hard, even talking about the good times, but he'd been told talking helped and maybe it would lessen the tension. A bottle of Sake sitting between them, and the atmosphere tense and awkward. Alcohol had been a luxury they hadn't had access to while fighting and the few times he'd had it since his jump brought him to the conclusion that he couldn't get drunk. Kurama and the other Bijuu's chakra metabolized it too quickly and when the lecher found out the already strained atmosphere became even more uncomfortable.

Kaeru unsealed his Konoha forehead protector plate, running his thumb over the scratches that covered it. Some there from before he'd even received it, others gained long after.

"Before I officially became a genin, I failed the exam three times," He saw Jiraiya's eyes widen in his peripheral vision but he didn't look him in the eye. He knew how it sounded, when people heard of his strength they assumed he must've been a prodigy. At one time it would've been flattering, but now it seemed to undermine the hard work it had taken to get to his current level. "I didn't pay attention in class, I acted out and for a long time my transformations weren't strong enough to hide the whisker marks on my cheeks. I couldn't do a bunshin. I had no friends. I was nothing. Weak, naive, gullible..."

He paused as the memories of that night, nearly fourteen years ago now.

"When I was twelve, I was the only one to fail. I had to make three clones and I couldn't. Iruka-sensei failed me for the third time and his childhood friend tried to get him to be lenient. I watched everyone in my class be congratulated by their parents, who spoke about me behind my back. Iruka-sensei's childhood friend carried me away to speak to me privately. I was so grateful that someone wasn't looking at me with those damn eyes that I was willing to listen to everything he said. No questions, no thinking about how it could be wrong. I thought I could trust him, since he was a teacher…"

He chuckled weakly, that kind of innocence… It was something he wished he'd cherished because becoming him wasn't fun.

"He convinced me that if I stole the Scroll of Sealing and learned a technique from it, I'd pass. He worded it differently, obviously, but that was what he wanted. His goal was to take the scroll for himself or Orochimaru and leave while letting the blame fall on me. Iruka-sensei found me. I told him what Mizuki had told me and he saved me. Twice. From attacks that would've been near fatal, even with Kurama. I learned about my status as Jinchuuriki that night and I learned Kage Bunshin from the scroll. I created probably close to a thousand shadow clones and pummeled the bastard because he hurt Iruka-sensei and he was arrested. Iruka-sensei gave me his forehead protector after and officially made me a ninja."

It was one of his few possessions and it meant more to him than nearly anything else. It made him wish he hadn't destroyed Hashirama's necklace.

Jiraiya laughed weakly. "You really are something, gaki."

"It was the first time anyone other than Hokage-jiji… Sandaime-sama and the Ichirakus had ever given me anything and the first time anyone had ever protected me. The first time someone was willing to die for me." He didn't know if he'd hated it or loved it at the time. Now he knew it was both. He loved that they thought he was worth that much, worth their life, but he hated it because he knew he wasn't worth their lives. Not really.

Things were softer after that. Jiraiya told him stories from his genin days and Kaeru told him about his own, and the slow trip to Konoha seemed more bearable. The Sannin had him look over drafts of his latest book (Icha Icha Innocence, Kaeru never read it but he helped edit the sequel and this one wasn't much better. His Ta katakana was just as hard to read as ever). It was nostalgic and the air of normalcy that settled over them made the ache in his chest dull just a little.

By the time they reached the gates to Konoha they were on better terms. Jiraiya was no longer wary of his intentions and it was strangely reminiscent of their relationship before retrieving Tsunade in his time. At the very least, Jiraiya was willing to try-even if becoming too close would raise suspicion. They sparred and joked and everything was okay. Kaeru could live with okay.

When his deep blue eyes fell on the gate it had been like a punch to the gut. Kaeru's breath left his lungs and he took a moment to stare. He'd been in Konoha briefly nearly two years before but he had been much more tense and less willing to feel and now that he did it hit hard. The redhead steeled himself and followed Jiraiya silently.

Kotetsu and Izumo, both alive and together (as it was supposed to be), were on gate duty and never in his life had he ever wanted to cry over something so simple. Kotetsu was sleeping and Izumo was drifting off and it was absolutely beautiful. The redhead planned to savor every second of it as he pushed the flashes of burning buildings and smoldering trees from his mind.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Izumo quickly became alert at the sight of the white haired Sannin, smacking his companion awake and knocking the shorter man off his seat in the process.

Both Chunin saluted the man before finally taking notice of the short redhead beside him. His height was no longer a sore subject (seeing as it was the result of his life-long poor diet he really could only be mad at himself) but the fact that it took that long to see his blood red hair was sad. Especially since neither of the two were much taller than him despite his being older than the pair (though compared to Jiraiya he still looked like a kid, and he hadn't grown since he was seventeen).

Kotetsu gaped at him. "Is that…?" He let the question hang but it was clear what he wanted to say. The Bloody Maelstrom.

Being in the Bingo Book was less fun than Kaeru had imagined as a kid.

He smiled at them and bowed politely. "I'm Kaeru, nice to meet you."

"He's shorter than I exp-" Izumo elbowed his partner, effectively ending his statement before he could offend the bounty hunter.

The redhead stifled a laugh.

Neither shinobi commented on the lack of a last name but he and Jiraiya had counted on it. Plenty of shinobi forgoed last names.

"I'm Kamizuki Izumo and this is my partner Hagane Kotetsu. Welcome to Konoha."

"Thank you," The pair hid their slight fear of him well, it was to be expected with the rumors spreading like fire, but Kaeru couldn't help but feel like he had as a kid.

He supposed the little bit of fear was better than hatred at any rate-not that either of them had ever looked at him like that anyway.

"Jiraiya-sama, Sandaime-sama asked that you both meet in his office immediately upon your arrival."

"Thank you Kotetsu," Jiraiya nodded as he finished filling out the paperwork necessary for Kaeru's entry to Konoha before turning to the redhead himself. "Let's go, kid."

His godfather grabbed the collar of his teal shirt and pulled him away while both Chunin stared wide eyed at the sight. Kaeru supposed it must be strange seeing an S-Rank shinobi with a flee on sight order being pulled about like a child but he couldn't deny the humor in it.

He sent them a bright grin as Jiraiya pulled him away from the booth and waved.

"See ya later," He removed Jiraiya's hand and walked forward on his own after receiving two shocked waves in return.

Walking the streets of Konoha was emotional and he could tell Jiraiya was trying to make it as fast as possible. Kaeru didn't think he'd ever be over the fact that Konoha was here and alive. He'd probably keep repeating it until he died. Losing it twice had been hard and he didn't plan on letting it happen again.

He could feel eyes on him the entire walk. The stares he got as he walked with the Sannin to Hokage Tower weren't new per se, as a kid he was watched everywhere he went by civilians and shinobi alike. Normally with hate in their eyes that barely covered the sadness and disgust they'd felt, but after defeating Pein it had changed to admiration. Being stared at like he was someone attractive was definitely new, though. He'd been looked at that way by very few people and the few who had only thought so after knowing him, or being saved by him. Or they were Sasuke. It always was hard to tell with him.

Not all the eyes he felt were civilians, though. He hadn't even discussed anything with the Sandaime yet and the Anbu were already watching him like hawks. He only recognized Yugao's chakra but he knew there were at least four others tailing them. He'd have to be especially careful about things he said, even when he was alone with Jiraiya, until they were no longer expecting him to kill someone. Kaeru's old spark of mischief from childhood ignited and he couldn't help but want to mess with his viewers a little bit-it would have to wait until after his meeting, though.

The Hokage's secretary gave them the go-ahead and they began the trek to the highest floor of the tower.

The stairs to Sarutobi Hiruzen's office seemed never ending and Kaeru could feel his heart pounding in his chest. After so many years of mourning the man he'd thought so highly of as a child was here and alive. Fourteen years of missing him, of wishing he'd been stronger or that Orochimaru had been dealt with sooner… It felt good to have the opportunity he'd missed when he'd been twelve.

Jiraiya slid the door open and allowed Kaeru to enter first. He felt awkward but he held himself with the same false confidence he'd used before making anything of himself-toned down a bit for realism's sake but fake nonetheless. The sight of the old man, exactly how he remembered him, hit Kaeru like one of Tsunade's punches. The office was the same as it had been before Tsunade had taken over and it was intense. The redhead pushed the grief down and bowed deeply to the Sandaime.

"Hokage-sama," It was odd, being so respectful to someone he considered family but he could hardly act familiar with the man now. "My name is Uzumaki Kaeru, thank you for your invitation. It is an honor."

He hoped he didn't sound as awkward as he felt but he probably did. He'd never been good with being professional. Dramatic? Yes. Casual? Most definitely. But he'd never really had a reason to behave professionally beyond the seriousness he felt on missions. He'd had too personal of a relationship with both Hokages of his time to treat either of them like strangers. His interactions with the other Kage, in either timeline, had been in his favor and now that the cards were held by the God of Shinobi he wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Welcome, my boy. It's nice to finally meet the man considered a hero to so many countries and villages. Why have you not come to Konoha before now?" His voice was gentle and it eased some of the tension building within the redhead. His question seemed purely curious but Kaeru had no doubt of the true motive behind it.

He kept his eyes downcast. Not in any kind of respectful gesture but purely to keep the older man from seeing how close to tears the story, vague as it might be, would no doubt bring him.

"I was a genin when my village fell and the few who survived scattered," All true, both for Uzushio and the Konoha of his time. "We were being hunted and young and naive as I was, even I knew that I would only bring trouble. For Kushina and for Konoha."

The mention of his mother's name had the desired effect; the Hokage was deeply interested in his story.

"I only met her a handful of times, but she was family, and being as weak as I was… I knew it would only draw more attention to her. Her duty here was important and it was recognized among the entire clan and putting her in any kind of danger was something none of us were willing to do. After she died… I was on my own for a long time, the survivors I was with died and I had to become strong to survive." He embellished by adding the bit about Kushina but everything he was saying was true. "By the time I was considering settling down in any village I ran into the Zombie Combo of the Akatsuki. When I learned their goal… I couldn't let them do anything with the Jinchuuriki. For Uzushio it was an honor, the first being Uzumaki Mito; Princess of the hidden whirlpool and wife of Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime. To be a Jinchuuriki meant being a hero. By preventing the Akatsuki from killing nine people who were sacrificed in such a way, I've brought their rage down on myself. I wanted to ensure the threat was eliminated completely before even attempting to lay down roots."

He still wasn't sure how he'd be doing that since he didn't want to kill Obito, as much wrong as the man did, his help was invaluable before his own passing. Feeling Kakashi's familiar chakra nearby only made him want to save him more, to give the silver haired jounin the friend he'd spent twelve years mourning his friend back. But the rest of him wondered if it were even possible. The last time it had been war and it was really only finding out the truth behind a number of misunderstandings that led to his switching sides. Would showing him the future he would create be enough? Was there a way to show him the truth of that night sooner? Kaeru didn't know. He hoped the answer would come before someone was killed.

The old man calculated every word he'd said and it was all plausible, Kaeru knew. Drawing any kind of attention to Kushina, especially while she'd been pregnant would've been detrimental. While not every citizen of Uzushio felt that being the Jinchuuriki was an honor, the one chosen was given more respect than almost anyone else for their sacrifice.

The Hokage's eyes were sympathetic. "You're worried you'll bring his rage directly to us."

"I never wanted to be the reason anyone was hurt. I've failed my friends, my comrades before. I've lost everything I've ever had and watched it burn. I won't allow the same to happen to another village, especially not one that was so loved by a member of my family." Kaeru hadn't meant to let out the raw passion he felt as harshly as he had but he could tell the Hokage believed him.

"You carry a lot of guilt, but you still have the strength to push on. The Will of Fire burns brightly in you, Uzumaki Kaeru." It was the highest praise he'd ever received and it meant more to him than someone simply telling him his strength rivaled or even surpassed that of a Kage.

"Too many people have given their lives to save mine, for me to throw it away. They saw something in me, something that they valued over their own lives. Even if I don't see it… I can't let their sacrifice be in vain." The redhead was finally meeting the Sarutobi's dark eyes and he could almost feel the fire burning in his own.

It was probably the most truthful thing he'd told the older man. So many people had died so he could live and to allow the grief he felt swallow him was to throw away their sacrifice. They simply meant too much to him to do that.

"If I ever came to Konoha, before, it would've been for my family. My family is long dead now and other members of my clan are widespread and nearly impossible to find-for good reason. After losing them… It seemed like a betrayal. Like I would be trading one village for another, old friends for new ones." His voice was low and toward the end he began fighting back tears. He'd wanted to maintain his distance for that very reason and now that he was here… Kaeru wasn't sure he ever wanted to leave.

This village meant the world to Kushina and it was the only one I had no attachment to. It was a long time coming, really."

It really was.

"How would your allies in the other villages feel if you were to join Konoha?" It was important for Konoha that their relationships with the other hidden villages improve. With Suna barely in the fringes and nearly every other village hating them it was… difficult, to say the least.

"If you're asking if any would turn their back on me for choosing Konoha, the answer is no. At least, I don't believe so. Though there's always a chance, I suppose. If you're asking if I could get any of them to agree to a solid alliance, it's possible," Honestly, he really didn't know. A and Onoki were two of the most stubborn men he'd ever met and they both disliked Konoha for their own reasons. The alliance they had during the war was born out of necessity, though it likely would've continued long after, and since giving up on being Hokage his dream had been to create peace throughout the Elemental Nations. Kaeru wondered sometimes if it was truly possible with things as they were.

"I see," Hiruzen hummed, contemplating something. "And do you plan on staying in Konoha?"

"If you will have me," It had never been in the original plan. He was always going to take care of everything from the shadows but now that he knows he can, now that he's there… there was no way he could leave. "I would love to join Konoha."

Hiruzen smiled at him like he knew Kaeru would from the beginning.

"What do you think, Jiraiya?" Kaeru had nearly forgotten the man was still there; he'd been so quiet.

"The kid has some serious power backing him and," The white haired man smirked knowingly. "I have a feeling he'll fit in perfectly."

The look the Hokage gave his ex-student sent a clear message: they would be talking privately after this meeting was over. Likely about what he learned about him in the time they spent traveling back.

He looked away from his youngest student and back at Kaeru.

"In that case, I welcome you to Konoha; Jounin Uzumaki Kaeru." He knew it wouldn't be that simple, that there would be tests to his loyalty but he'd do what he needed to.

Jounin. He was a Jounin. Of course, he was aware of his strength-really she should've been a Jounin after Pein's attack on Konoha, or at the very least a Chunin. It had never really mattered that much before because, while it hurt to watch his friends leave him behind, it was only a title. His strength, particularly after his almost-three years away from the village, spoke for itself. But there was something about this, about the Sandaime being the one to give him such a rank that filled him with pride he hadn't felt since losing the parental figures in his life. Like proving his strength in this way, even though he didn't know Kaeru was Naruto, proved that he wasn't what everyone thought.

An Anbu came in with the standard jounin uniform and a Konoha hitai-ate. He absentmindedly rubbed the seal near the bend of his arm, where Iruka's plate was stored. He wondered how long it would take to scratch the shiny, new one enough that swapping them would go unnoticed. He took it like it was something precious, running his thumb across the smooth metal of the forehead protector before once again meeting Hiruzen's eyes. His own deep blue orbs were glassy with tears that he was barely holding back before he hid them by bowing deeply in thanks.

"Thank you, Sandaime-sama."

"It's no problem, my boy," His smile was soft and his voice had finally lost its edge. "Now, Jiraiya told me you were a master in Fuuinjutsu, can you show me?"

Kaeru didn't know if it was a test or some kind of personal assessment but he did as asked. The redhead pulled his loose sleeves up with his fishnet shirt to expose the seals carefully inked onto his skin.

"Most of them are storage seals, I don't like being caught off guard and if I ever am I don't want to be without weapons. The easiest way to keep my weapons out of my enemies' reach is to seal it so with a few modifications and tests it was ready to go on skin. I have a bunch of them, each differing in capacity and contents. This one," He pointed to the seal directly over his left wrist, concentrating chakra into it and pulling its contents out. "Is where I store my sword."

Even the sword had seals and Jiraiya wanted to look, though he kept from asking-he'd seen how he'd acquired it and didn't want to overwhelm him further.

He hadn't expected it but he ended up getting swept into another hour about his skills in sealing. He was told that he'd be staying at Jiraiya's place for a month until they could "clear out a place for him"-really they just wanted him to be under surveillance until they were sure he could be trusted.

Before the Hokage could formally dismiss him the door opened and a tall silver haired man walked in. Seeing Kakashi standing there, late as always, it took all of his self control to steel his reaction.

"Yo, sorry I'm late. I lost track of time reading-"

"Kakashi," The Hokage cut him off. "Since you're here, why don't you show Kaeru-san around Konoha." It was an order the Copy nin couldn't refuse and he laughed sheepishly.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi," He held his gloved hand to Kaeru to shake.

"Uzumaki Kaeru. Pleasure to meet the Copy Nin in person," He grinned brightly at the man, shaking the offered hand firmly.

The silence between them was awkward at first as Kakashi followed Kaeru's directionless wandering. Kakashi trusted him even less than the Hokage did and the redhead didn't know how to fix it. The older man was one of the best he knew at hiding his emotions and with over a month until he was forced to take on a genin team it was obvious why guard duty on an S-Rank shinobi would be bothersome.

"If you have questions, Hatake-san, now would be the time to ask," He turned another corner watching the civilians go about their daily tasks. He couldn't help the small smile he wore the longer he observed.

"Maa, just Kakashi is fine," referring to him by his last name was a reminder of his father, Kaeru knew, but it was a start. "Why not come to Konoha sooner?"

He didn't look up from his book but Kaeru hardly noticed.

"If you watched your village fall and most of its inhabitants die, would you be able to simply join a new village?" His smile turned wry. "It would've been the most severe betrayal. At least to me."

The loss of everyone you cared about was something Kakashi was able to sympathise with, though to a much lesser degree.

He smiled at the redhead with his visible eye. "I guess that's fair."

His wandering led the pair to the memorial stone and finding his parents name was quick. He'd done it a number of times before, both before and after finding out about his parents. Kushina was the only other Uzumaki he'd ever heard of at the time and he remembered dreaming that this name belonged to a member of his family. It was only during the moments he'd felt the most lonely but finding out it was his mother had made him happier than he could ever hope to describe because his mother hadn't given him up, she'd wanted him. It hadn't been something he was used to, even when he was hailed as a hero to the village.

He discreetly ran his thumb over his father's name, unable to openly mourn him, before settling on Uzumaki Kushina.

"This is the memorial stone," It was like that first test after he'd first become a genin. "The names of all the shinobi killed in battle are on this stone."

"Did you know her?" His voice was gentle and he tried not to let on that he already knew the answer.

"I did."

"Was she happy?" From everything he'd heard from his father during the war and the few conversations he'd had with the Kakashi of his time she had been, but it felt right to ask directly.

"She missed her home, that much was obvious, but I think she was. She was loved by many, especially her husband, and she was an exceptionally strong shinobi. They called her the Red Hot Blooded Habanero."

Kaeru couldn't help but chuckle. He and his mother were very similar in that regard.

"She had the Uzumaki temper that bad, huh?" If he hadn't changed as much as he had, he likely would've said something about his own temper but he'd long since mellowed out. Social as he still tried to be, silence was just easier sometimes and the enthusiasm he'd had as a kid was long faded. An old scar, at that point.

"She was a time bomb. One wrong word and she would explode," and wasn't that the truth. "You don't seem nearly that short tempered."

Kaeru stood and resumed his wandering. "It's bluster, mostly. A natural defence in the face of humiliation. I used to have it worse than most but… I don't know. I guess I grew out of it after being alone for as long as I was," It was a lie. The war had simply not allowed it and he became more in control of his emotions because of it. He glanced at Kakashi. "Are you actually reading that or are you just staring at the pages?"

* * *

"If there's one thing I'm completely sure about, it's that kid would never harm Konoha."

Jiraiya looked his ex-teacher dead in the eyes as he said it. He couldn't betray the confidence his alternate-godson had placed in him but he would, at least, assure him of that.

"So you think the two should be introduced sooner?" If he were Hokage he'd have already had them introduced but he also had knowledge about the situation no one else was privy to.

"The genin exams are coming up in a little over a month, right? I think around then would be ideal as long as nothing goes too wrong beforehand." Kaeru had been very clear on how he felt about interfering in his counterpart's genin exam. "Any active attempts to keep them apart would be obvious to both so it may be better if they meet naturally on their own and only interfere if they manage not to. Finding out about family will probably only solidify his loyalty."

Hiruzen hummed.

"You trust him then," It was a statement. Not a question.

"He hasn't yet given me a reason not to."

"Then I'll take it into consideration. For now we'll give him a week or two to settle in before sending him off on missions. Your assessment of his skills?"

"He's highly skilled in nearly all areas, the only exception being Genjutsu. There are few men without the Sharingan who can claim to be a master of all the elements. A spar between him and any of our elite is bound to be entertaining."

It was an endearing idea, to test him with a spar against some of the finest Konoha had to offer.

* * *

Kakashi hated to admit it but he was intrigued but Konoha's newest jounin. He didn't trust him, of course, not yet, but he didn't feel like the man was likely to betray Konoha.

The first thing the Copy Nin had noticed was the visual similarity between Kaeru and Kushina. Their faces were very similar. Kushina had slightly smaller, darker eyes and Kaeru had sharper cheekbones and a thinner face but there was no doubt that the two were related and fairly closely. Kushina had never talked much about her family, not with him at least, so he wasn't sure if she'd had any siblings or first cousins but it was obvious to Kakashi that it wasn't simply clan blood making them look alike.

He was scarred, not heavily but visibly, and his hair was a deeper red, a color more akin to blood than tomatoes like Kushina had often been compared to. He wondered briefly if his nickname was referring to his hair and not his brutality. Perhaps it was both. He was her height too, if Kakashi remembered correctly. Short for an adult man but not uncommon for those who hadn't had access to appropriate meals. It was something he'd often worried about with Naruto, even if he'd never acted on his desire to interfere in his grief-a mistake he deeply regretted.

The second thing was the overwhelming grief in the man's dark blue eyes. It reminded him of his own in many ways but stronger and he carried the same guilt as well. It was a rare thing, Kakashi thought, for people to understand his spiral of self destruction that deeply. It wasn't something he wished on anyone, let alone someone related to the woman he'd seen as an older sister.

He was also weird. He wasn't annoyed by Kakashi stuffing his face in his book, he barely seemed to notice it at all, or by the material itself like many others. He'd simply snorted, a sound that reminded him distinctly of Kushina and her son on the rare occasions he'd seen him, and shook his head fondly. It was as infuriating as it was fascinating and it left the one-eyed jounin torn. He wondered if he'd met others with similar hobbies or if he was laughing at something else entirely.

"Uzumaki-san-" The Uzumaki cut him off before he could ask his next question.

"Kaeru, please. Uzumaki-san makes me feel old,"

"Kaeru-san, then. How old are you? Kushina was only a teenager when Uzushio fell."

"I turned twenty six in October. I was almost seven when Uzushio was destroyed."

"Ah, you're younger than me. I should've guessed."

Kakashi couldn't help the teasing. It was odd, feeling this sort of kinship with a stranger but he felt as though he knew the redhead in a way he couldn't explain. He couldn't help but feel hopeful that this man would be loyal to Konoha. None of that changed the fact that if he met this man on the road he would've expected him to be about ten years younger than he was.

Kaeru's faint smile faded as his head snapped to the left of where they were standing, where the training grounds were. Kakashi was too late to pick up on the blobs of green running their way. He supposed that shinobi racing toward you at top speed, especially after pursuing missing nin for years, would make most people tense. Especially these shinobi. He kept his face in his orange book as the blurs slowed down.

Gai and his clone stood side by side next to them, barely out of breath.

"Yosh! Kakashi! My eternal rival! I challenge you to a race. From here to the top of the Hokage monument. If I lose I'll do-" The silver haired jounin tuned him out.

He only looked up from his book when he felt three pairs of eyes watching him expectantly. He glanced at the taller man.

"Did you say something?"

Somewhere amid his complaining about Kakashi's supposed 'hipness' Gai took notice of Kaeru watching the pair with amusement clear in his eyes along with something else he couldn't quite grasp.

"How unyouthful of me! I'm Maito Gai, Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey! This is my student Rock Lee!" He spoke as loudly as always as he introduced himself and his clone to the Uzumaki.

The mini-Gai bowed deeply. "Nice to meet you!"

Kaeru's laugh was a bright sound and it was obviously genuine.

"I'm Kaeru, it's nice to meet you too," He smiled at the pair, not looking the least bit weirded out by whatever you wanted to call that.

He didn't use his last name, Kakashi noticed. He wondered if it was out of habit, he'd heard plenty of rumors following Uzushio's destruction of the Uzumaki clan being hunted.

"Are you new to Konoha, Kaeru-san?" Lee asked politely and Kaeru's smile was fond as he looked down at the kid.

"I am. As of today, I am officially a Konoha Jounin though I'll probably continue to be monitored until the Hokage is completely positive I can be trusted." He mentioned his Anbu tails so casually and both older Jounin stared at the redhead in shock.

Kaeru's cheeks pinkened and he looked embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Was I not supposed to know about them?" He chuckled nervously before answering the question both Kakashi and Gai had been thinking. "I'm a sensor. While they're hiding their chakra well, I've always been particularly sensitive-especially after mastering Senjutsu."

They continued staring. Senjutsu wasn't a common practice and mastering it was even rarer. This man didn't even seem to register what he'd just said. It was clear Lee didn't understand either. No one explained it.

Kaeru still looked uncomfortable and changed the subject in a way that was less than subtle, though still effective.

"So, Maito Gai… You're a Taijutsu expert, right? I'm pretty sure your name has come up before."

The redhead was lucky Gai was so easily distracted.

"Exactly right!" He all but shouted and Kakashi subtly began to move the group to where Gai's volume wouldn't disturb the rest of the public since he clearly wasn't getting out of this any time soon. "Are you proficient in Taijutsu, Kaeru-san?"

"I'm decent enough," Kakashi didn't believe decent was accurate but he'd wait until seeing the man in action to make any judgement. "I know a few styles, but hand-to-hand isn't my biggest strength. Those would be Ninjutsu and Fuuinjutsu, I believe." He rolled up the sleeves of his kimono shirt to reveal the seals painted up his arms.

There were a mix of different kinds of seals, some Kakashi recognized with his own limited knowledge of the subject and others that were completely unfamiliar. Storage seals, stasis seals, chakra storing seals, all modified and inked directly onto his pale skin like tattoos. They probably were tattooed.

Gai seemed impressed, his volume lowered and his voice became slightly more serious. "Fuuinjutsu is a lost art these days. Few shinobi are proficient enough to create their own seals instead of just using mass produced tags and scrolls."

Kaeru's eyes softened. "Yeah, but there's something beautiful about them, ya know? After I learned the basics I couldn't help but continue. Both of my parents and my teachers had been talented in Fuuinjutsu, I guess a part of me wanted to be able to make them proud."

Even without knowing Kaeru was an Uzumaki the implication was clear: they were dead.

"Ninjutsu was almost always the easiest for me, though. When I was a kid I had a hard time paying attention in class and Ninjutsu was one of the only subjects I found interesting enough to pay attention to. I struggled with almost everything else. Honestly it's a wonder I managed to become a shinobi at all, looking back." He looked embarrassed by the fact but Lee was looking up at the redhead with stars in his eyes. "The Uzumaki clan was notorious for their larger-than-normal chakra reserves and mine go even further than that so my control was atrocious and I could only do higher ranked techniques because of the amount of chakra they used. I got better but… I was made fun of a lot for my lack of inherent talent."

"I can't use chakra at all and have to rely entirely on Taijutsu. When I was still in the academy I too was bullied for my lack of ability! But then Gai-sensei found me! Now I am able to make up for my inability to use chakra with my body alone!" The kid got progressively louder with each sentence but Kaeru didn't waver.

"Do you work hard, Lee-kun?" The question seemed to come out of nowhere and the young teen seemed taken aback for a moment before a fire lit in his eyes.

"Of course! Nothing is more youthful and powerful than hard work!"

The redhead's smile widened. "Then you will make your sensei proud," He sounded so sure of what he was saying and perhaps it was personal experience in the matter but Kakashi got the distinct feeling it was more than that.

Tears of gratitude welled in Lee's large eyes and Kakashi realized it was probable that no one except Gai himself had ever had so much faith in him before.

"Yosh! Lee! Your flames of youth burn brightly!" Gai gave his student his nice guy pose.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

The tears and hugging, waves crashing on sand and setting sun were too much for the Sharingan user and he desperately wished he could unsee what he was seeing. Kaeru didn't look nearly as bothered. That look was back and Kakashi still didn't quite know what it was.

The redhead chuckled. "He's like Konoha's version of Killer B."

Kakashi didn't know which he was referring to (though since Lee was essentially Gai's clone it didn't really matter) and he didn't know Killer B personally but he'd heard stories. The Jinchuuriki of the Hachibi was proud of it and was known for his terrible rapping. He didn't quite see how they could be similar but he supposed Kaeru would know better than he would.

The shorter man was once again distracted by the area Gai and Lee had come from and when Kakashi looked over to see what had captured the redhead's attention this time he found two more teenagers. A Hyuuga boy, judging by his long brown hair and telltale pale eyes, and a girl with her brown hair in two small buns.

Kaeru made a choking sound beside him, though when he looked over his face was relaxed.

That wasn't what caught Kakashi's attention, though. Because despite the relaxed look on his face his eyes, that expressed his emotions so vividly, were now cold as steel and void of emotion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could you tell how much this chapter was a struggle for me? I don't know why but this one gave me trouble in terms of actually getting it done... I won't let it happen next week though. My attention problems won't ruin my schedule for me! 
> 
> I'm not entirely happy with the bit with Hiruzen but I like the direction I'm heading with the rest of it and, like I said earlier, will come back and edit more later. I'm also totally exhausted because I stayed up all night trying to make it presentable.
> 
> Unlike Backslide, this is going to focus a lot on Kaeru's other friendships too and not just his familial bond with his young self and team 7 (or his budding relationship with Kakashi).
> 
> Either way, thanks for reading and thank you to everyone who has added this to their bookmarks and given kudos. You're all amazing!
> 
> See you all next Friday!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo


	5. Cursed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaeru meets Neji and Tenten and gets into trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter surprisingly fast. It's a bit on the short side, but it's essentially the continuation from last week.
> 
> Next week will be a quick time skip (only a few days or so) and we'll meet some more people but I like this chapter, or parts of it at least. 
> 
> At least the length is letting me get sleep before noon (or 2 in the afternoon like last week) Hand Signs won't be as forgiving tonight but I'll get as much done during the day as I can to make up for it. So those who were concerned about that, I hope this is a good enough fulfillment of my promise. If it gets too bad I might have to alternate posting weeks because my health comes first but I'll do my best to keep it like this.
> 
> TLDR; Updates will probably be fairly early in the morning in America if the writing gods are on my side (Like, between 6am and 8am).
> 
> That's all
> 
> Onto the chapter!

** Chapter Four: Cursed **

* * *

Kaeru felt the familiar chakra signatures before he saw them. Two familiar brunettes, one with twin buns atop her head and the other with pale eyes, cold and prideful and _hurt_ , with long hair tied at the ends. His breath caught in his throat as the wave of emotions hit him.

_Neji_.

The last time he'd seen him was when they were sixteen and seventeen and he'd given his life to save Hinata and himself. He gave his life so they could _win_ and Kaeru failed him. Hinata was still killed and the world was still, most likely destroyed after his departure.

Tenten was the most fresh though. She'd been one of the last and had died to get him here. He hadn't seen her death, he wasn't sure if that was good or not. He didn't know if it was painful. He just knew that her sacrifice, _all_ of their sacrifices wouldn't- _couldn't_ be in vain. Especially not when he was _so close_ to finally ending it.

He steeled himself before anyone could see anything, before the wave of emotions he felt made him seem suspicious without Ero-Sennin there to back him up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kakashi look at him, something seemed to catch his interest but Kaeru was too busy staring at the two genin. He hoped that when he spoke his voice wouldn't waver.

He didn't think it would ever hurt less, having to act like these people were total strangers.

The saddest part was that even at age thirteen to fourteen they were already nearly his height as an adult. He was barely more than ten centimeters taller than them _now_ and when _he'd_ been their age he was at least ten centimeters shorter. Tenten had been his height before he'd jumped back in time and before he died Lee had been quite a bit taller than himself. Neji had always been around his male teammates height and Kaeru couldn't help but wonder how tall he'd be as an adult now that he would actually become one.

He was broken from his reverie by loud pants and sad attempts to catch their breath.

"Gai-sensei, Lee, you both just took off again. Not everyone can be like _you two._ " Tenten whined, bright and innocent and so unbelievably free of the weight of war.

Kaeru never wanted _any_ of them to lose that innocence and lightness. It was unrealistic, of course, because they were ninja but at the very least, he hoped they would never be like _him_.

The redhead watched them bicker for a while, unable to stop the fond smile from crossing his features. If Kakashi or anyone asked, he'd just tell them it reminded him of his days as a genin (it wasn't a lie). It was minutes, though it felt closer to an hour, before Lee's teammates noticed him and it only reminded him further of how safe they felt in the village, how completely carefree they were at this age. He knew he would _die_ to keep it that way.

"U-uh... Sorry, who are you? I don't think I've ever seen you around the village before..." Tenten asked, her eyes slightly narrowed. It was almost cute that she was so suspicious of him despite the pleasant conversation he'd been having with two well known and respected Konoha Jounin.

She did her best to keep her eyes off of his pink scars and inked-on seals but it was still noticeable and the Uzumaki could tell she wanted to ask. She held back, for now at least.

He smiled at her pleasantly, not letting the pain of his losses show on his face.

"I don't suppose you would have since I'm from outside the village. I won't really consider myself a full-fledged jounin until my shadows are gone though," He couldn't help but poke fun and he laughed at his own joke and saw Kakashi's posture stiffen slightly. "I'm assuming the two of you are Lee-kun's teammates? I'm Kaeru. It's nice to meet you both."

The two jounin were staring at him.

"Should I also mention I'm a sensor type before the first people I meet turn on me? Was I supposed to play unaware?" His body language, Kaeru knew, made him seem nervous but one look into his deep blue eyes would reveal the mischief within them.

Both Jounin knew he was an Uzumaki, it really shouldn't be surprising. It was in his blood after all.

The genin didn't pick up on the tense atmosphere-except maybe Neji, but that was likely from experience within his family than anything else.

"I'm Tenten," the genin girl introduced herself before gesturing to the taller teen standing beside her. "This grump is Neji. Um... I couldn't help but notice, um, you have _seals_ inked onto your skin..."

Kaeru laughed for real this time. Tenten always was bold when he knew her, this shyness, her uncertainty just proved that there was still a real chance.

"I do. Most of them are storage seals. My previous... _job_ involved a lot of moving around and carrying heavy packs wasn't really an option. Not to mention it's much harder to disarm me this way. I keep my kunai, senbon, explosives, and shuriken sealed in easy to access places on my arms as well as provisions. In _here,_ " Kaeru pumped a small amount of chakra into the seal over his wrist and pulled his sword out of it. "I keep my sword. It was a precious gift, so I make sure to always keep it safe."

It was his final connection to the first person he'd ever truly loved in a way that extended _past_ familial, one of his only true possessions at this point. There were so few things he had to remember those that he'd lost, the versions of these people that they would never become, he couldn't afford to lose or break it due to carelessness.

"Do you like seals, Tenten-chan?" He knew she did, of course. Fuuinjutsu was her best skill besides her expertise over weapons-it definitely paid to have a father in the business. Kaeru was almost jealous.

"Well... I really want to become a medic like Tsunade-sama but..." The redhead knew immediately she was in the middle of her self-realization. Where she realized she may not have the control necessary to be a medic but she _was_ skilled in another area.

"That's an admirable goal. Tsunade-sama is an amazing kunoichi but..." He looked at her with a half smile and warm eyes. "That's not to say you can't be the Tsunade-sama of something else. Forgive me if this is too forward, but you seem much more enthusiastic about seals and weapons."

Her face cheeks turned pink but she didn't respond and Kaeru didn't push. Tenten had to make her decisions on her own, but there was no reason he couldn't get her (or anyone else) thinking. Really he was only pushing them in the right direction. Tenten was _amazing_ at sealing and utilizing weapons, she'd helped him get started on both fronts and he'd hate for her to pursue a skill she wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about.

"I'd love to spar with you sometime. Fuuinjutsu users are fairly rare nowadays, it could be fun. Just a thought." Tenten's brown eyes lit up but she didn't respond. That was fine. He knew he'd probably be hanging out with Gai fairly often, since he was really only acquainted with him and Kakashi so far (and he doubted Jiraiya would stay long) so she'd have plenty of opportunities to take him up on his offer.

He turned his attention to young Neji, who was giving the Uzumaki an odd look. His inner conflict over his familial structure was more than clear. Kaeru wondered how long it was until the next Chunin exams before deciding that he'd give a few small pushes and let the Hyuuga and his counterpart figure out the rest.

"You're a Hyuuga, yes?" He asked as though it weren't painfully obvious by his long dark hair and pale eyes and skin.

Neji narrowed his eyes.

"I am," His voice held pride, and in some way his eyes did too. Pride for being part of the strongest living clan in Konoha. His eyes also held the kind of disappointment that you only feel in yourself. The kind of anger and frustration only those who've been cursed can feel (he'd long since stopped thinking of Kurama as a curse but he _had_ when he'd first found out about him-right now he was just hoping the damn fox would _wake up_ ). "Why?"

The redhead blinked innocently.

"What do you mean? I just thought I've seen those eyes before. I've fought a few Hyuuga in my time. They're long gone now, but they despised the system within the clan and wanted to change it. They're two people I've admired for a long time, even if one of them had a stick up his ass at first," Kaeru laughed at his own joke-he knew Neji probably assumed one of the two was his father and it may work in his favor. His smile turned sad as he continued. "It was the way he talked about fate that gave me my motto though, or one of them at least."

Now Neji looked interested and Kaeru couldn't help but wonder how Neji could've turned out if he'd had someone who understood. If his father had survived (if neither twin had to die).

"What do you mean? What motto?" His tone was harsh but his eyes were desperate and it was that desperation that made the Uzumaki a bit more open than he normally would've been at first.

He sighed sadly. "I live by three main rules: I never go back on my word, nothing is set in stone, and never let sacrifices be in vain," Everyone was listening now and Kaeru forced himself to press on. "For a long time I was unsure of myself because everytime things seemed to get better they would just become a thousand times worse. Every clan, every family, every person has a curse. For some it's their pride and their hatred, for others it's a seal or loss. I met a member of the side branch when I was twelve,"

He paused as he considered just how long ago that was for him now, how it was more than likely his counterpart will have a similar fight.

"We fought each other and in that fight he talked about how I could never understand his curse, that because of how I lived I'd never amount to anything. How because he was a _Hyuuga_ , he was destined to win... He made me want to fight to prove that things like _blood_ or a name don't define you, don't determine who you're meant to be. I'm not my lost clan. I'm not defined by the loss of my family or my friends. I am what I decide to be not what _fate_ decides."

Neji's sneer was expected but Kaeru could see the gears turning in his head as he pondered the words.

"You can't _defy_ fate. What _you_ want doesn't matter." It was a wonder how no one saw Neji's issues before that fight in the Chunin Exams. Neji was so obviously suffering, not only from the treatment from the main branch, but also because he's yet to learn the truth about his father.

"I don't believe that, in fact I would go so far as to say I'm living proof it's possible. I was orphaned at a young age, was disliked by _a lot_ of people, was terrible at academics and to cope with the loneliness I felt I became someone you couldn't help but look at, even if it was in annoyance. I was told a lot growing up, even after the fall of my village-" that got gasps from Lee and Tenten but Kaeru ignored them. "-that I would never be able to make a name for myself. I've lost _everything_ and I have a chance to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else. My name, or title I suppose, is known across the Elemental Nations and in a lot of villages I'm considered a hero. I earned the respect I'd yearned for since I was a child. If I maintained the belief that I wouldn't ever amount to anything, I wouldn't have for the simple reason that would mean I've given up."

He grinned, wide and proud, down at Neji.

"I don't give up."

"Not even after losing everything?" Tenten's voice was sad and the question itself was hesitant.

Kaeru's eyes were probably glassy as images of those he's lost flashed in his mind. He didn't let any tears fall.

"I might've if my best friend hadn't died to make sure I didn't. I won't lie, it's _hard_ , but giving up will never help. If you can't do it either practice more or find another way. Honestly I think that if some of the people who used to tell me to give up saw me now they wouldn't even believe I'm the same kid," It was a stab at the fact that he'd changed so much since he was a teenager, physically and skill-wise. "None of you, not even Gai-san or Kakashi-san, believed me when I said I was a mess as a kid. I almost wish I had pictures."

"You said your title was known across the Elemental Nations?" Neji was always straight to business, blunt and cared a lot about power before their battle. Even having only met him a few times before that fight it was obvious and as dumb as he'd been as a kid he was still observent.

Kaeru had been trying to _avoid_ talking about it, since that kind of thing would make normal people weary and that was the _last_ thing he wanted. He glanced at his glorified babysitter for permission to tell them. Genin or not they were children and were still innocent to many of the horrors of the Shinobi World. Kaeru took his silence and lack of any reaction as the all-clear.

"Over the last year or so I spent my spare time collecting the bounties on S-Rank missing nin who were planning on kidnapping a small group of people in order to take control of the world." He didn't brag, just as when he'd mentioned his growing popularity across the Elemental Nations, he was simply stating a fact. "I collected the bounties on Hoshigaki Kisame, Sasori of the Red Sand, Deidara, Kakuzu, and Hidan. I also put an end to a civil war and made friends with almost every village leader... I think that's it? Oh and I became close with eight of the nine people I was trying to save."

Kaeru wondered if the gaping looks were always going to happen, though Neji only looked like he was frozen he knew the boy well enough to know he was just as shocked as his teammates. Personally, he thought his achievements in his other timeline were more impressive. Uniting the Elemental Nations, making friends with the most feared Bijuu, rivaling Kage strength as a Genin, talking _several_ enemies out of being enemies on top of pounding their faces in and saving Konoha multiple times just had a better ring to it than killing a few people. He would much prefer to be known for saving lives than ending them, even if they _were_ enemies.

"Ah, Gai-san it seems I've broken your genin. I apologize." He jokingly bowed and Gai laughed, it was obvious the elite Jounin had been up to date with what he'd been doing, even if they weren't necessarily in on Sarutobi's plan to invite him into the village.

"You took down _five S-Rank missing nin_ and only have a handful of scars?" Tenten sounded like she was torn between being terrified and being impressed.

"Ah, no," Kaeru laughed sheepishly. "I don't have any scars from my encounters with the Nukenin. These are all from the war that destroyed my village."

Those looks were back and they would've made him self-conscious if he weren't used to stares by now. Perhaps growing up always being stared at and then continuing to be stared at after becoming a hero to his village had its perks.

"If you have friends all across the Elemental Nations, why didn't you join one of their villages?"

It was a good question, one he'd never expected from genin and both Kakashi and Gai seemed just as interested as the kids.

"A member of my family came to Konoha as a child and grew to be an amazing Kunoichi here. She loved this village and died for it about twelve years ago. I'd never had any true contact with Konoha after my village fell and I wasn't going to _ask_ to join but I knew from the beginning that if I ever joined another village it would be Konoha. I was tempted for a while but it felt like I was betraying those who died fighting for our home." It was the most raw conversation he'd had with anyone other than _Hiruzen_ and _Jiraiya_ but he figured it was best to be honest. He obviously couldn't say he was from the future but none of what he said was technically a lie.

They stared more and hee was about to break the spell with a joke to Kakashi and his shadows but something else caught his attention.

"Jiraiya-sama," It felt horribly awkward to call the man that but they both decided it was a good idea to be formal for the time being. "Are you going to continue to stare like the peeping tom you are or do you care to join the conversation?"

He said it offhandedly and Jiraiya jumped out of his hiding place, summoning Gama and sitting on his back.

"It is I, the great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya." The genin didn't seem nearly as impressed with Jiraiya as Kaeru had been when he first met him but he supposed his godfather was a goof and they likely didn't know who he was.

"Ah, Tenten-chan, this is Tsunade-sama's teammate and another of the legendary Sannin." The dots seemed to connect for her though she still didn't seem all that impressed (he supposed that was fair, Tsunade's name was much more widespread than Jiraiya's and she'd never seen him fight).

"Yo, Jiraiya-sama," The two other jounin acknowledged him. Kakashi wasn't very talkative in general, but Kaeru noticed he was _especially_ quiet around him. He wondered why.

He turned his attention back to his godfather.

"Did gossiping about me with Hokage-sama go well?" The redhead teased and Jiraiya scowled.

"You _love_ causing trouble don't you, Gaki."

"I'm told it runs in the family," He deadpanned. "They had to find out one way or the other, I figured _that_ was the most natural. Figures you were watching. Besides, being a master in Senjutsu is much more impressive to me than just being a good sensor type."

Jiraiya was far from a master but the compliment seemed to help calm the frustrated sannin just a little.

"Besides, you should be grateful that's _all_ I did. I could've easily identified their exact numbers, elemental affinities and genders but I _didn't_." He smirked. Truth be told he could only do that in sage mode but they didn't need to know that.

"You need to be in sage mode for that, brat."

_Bastard._

"Buzzkill."

They bickered, uncaring of their current company, including Kaeru's shadows.

Being around Jiraiya always seemed to revert him to his childish nature, it was nice not needing to be serious (with the exception of the first few conversations they had regarding the future and Kaeru's past of course). He groaned. He hadn't been this inactive since his first few weeks in the past and he certainly hadn't gone so long without so much as a _spar_. Kaeru had way too much energy coming off of a year-long self-assigned mission to destroy the Akatsuki.

Thinking about it, even if he _could_ spar right now he couldn't go all out. The training ground wouldn't survive it and he definitely didn't want to deal with the aftermath. Growing up he'd never considered the disadvantages of being a powerful shinobi.

* * *

Kakashi was amazed at the change in attitude from the red haired man. One minute he's being deep and philosophical and meaningful and the next he's reduced to a child. It would've been amazing if it weren't so ridiculous.

The man didn't even _brag_ like a normal person. He was so modest when it was obvious to anyone who understood just how much skill it took to stand against missing nin and come out on top. That's not even mentioning the fact that he'd single handedly stopped a civil war that had been raging for _years_. Kakashi didn't get it at all. Even _he_ liked to brag, not even just when he was a child either. _Everyone_ bragged but Kaeru didn't seem to be able to. Perhaps because, if he wasn't lying, he'd fought so hard for the strength he wields. He claimed he wasn't naturally gifted, Kakashi couldn't tell if it was just him being modest again or if it was true. Kushina-nee had been good in school, if not a bit loud if Minato-sensei's words were to be believed (though he _was_ biased) and most Uzumaki seemed naturally gifted with Fuuinjutsu.

He wasn't sure he'd ever figure this man out. He was a tiny ball of pure _energy_ and unadulterated strength who was the opposite of full of himself. It was pretty much unheard of. The closest he could think of was Minato-sensei, though he'd never had endless amounts of energy he'd never once heard the man brag or use his superior strength to make someone else feel inferior.

Kaeru kind of reminded him of his late teacher, in an odd way. They looked nothing alike, Minato-sensei had been a tan blond where Kaeru was a pale redhead like Kushina-nee, but sometimes when the redhead smiled kindly down at Gai's brats there was this _look_. It was the same look the Yondaime used when he looked at Kakashi and his late teammates, sadder at times, but otherwise a near perfect comparison.

The sharingan-eyed jounin wondered if he'd ever look at a bunch of brats that way. The hokage had been on his tail about taking another team (another one that would inevitably fail and waste his time, no doubt) and he was dreading it. The Genin Exams were coming up in barely a month and Kakashi already had a feeling his team would include the last Uchiha. Afterall, who better than to teach an Uchiha his sharingan than a man who carried the doujutsu himself? He didn't want to deal with a second coming of himself as a child, let alone one about a _thousand_ times worse. He felt bad for the kid but that was baggage that even _he_ didn't want to touch.

He was terrible with kids, more likely to make them cry or angry than actually _teach_ them. He didn't know how Iruka dealt with them everyday. Especially Naruto, who had been a menace since he could walk. He could show them how to do something, even explain it but getting through to them? Turning them into proper shinobi? Kakashi knew he'd be a terrible teacher.

_Kaeru_ , on the other hand, seemed to have a natural talent for teaching even just a simple lesson about not giving up. He seemed to understand them on a level that was almost personal and encourage their growth in the right areas all while shutting down toxic habits-like doing something because you're _fated_ to.

Even Kakashi had learned something from the redhead's words of wisdom. _Friend-Killer Kakashi_ they'd called him, because the people he got close to were cursed to die. He'd been pushing people away ever since losing the most important people to him and here was a man who'd lost _everything._ His friends, his clan, his village, and here he was _bickering_ with one of the Legendary Sannin (even if he _was_ the most perverted man Kakashi had ever met) and laughing and smiling. He still hurt, but it didn't seem to rule over him like it did the silver haired shinobi. Instead it seemed to be what motivated him, like he genuinely wanted to keep another village from falling. It was possible that it was simply because the entire _world_ was at stake if Jiraiya's intel and Kaeru's words were to be believed but Kakashi suspected there was more to it than that.

Kakashi was broken from his thoughts by the two shinobi's bickering finally coming to an end.

"Seems it's time for me to go!" Kaeru grinned at the genin. "If any of you want to spar or have any questions feel free to track me down."

The redhead turned his head to Gai. "Gai-san that goes for you too!"

Kakashi couldn't understand how Kaeru could stand to be around _Gai_ for this long and still want to hang around him but apparently the redhead liked him well enough. Of course Kakashi didn't _hate_ Gai, the man just tried his patience better than anyone else and had since childhood. He'd never forget the incident in the bathroom _or_ the acorn thing. _Ever_.

"Kakashi-san, Jiraiya said you're not off babysitting duty yet."

He did provide an escape though so he supposed he could deal with Kaeru being _friends_ with Gai.

As they walked away he couldn't help but ask the question that had been bugging him since his _eternal rival_. "Was all that true?"

Kaeru blinked cluelessly. "Was all what true?"

Kakashi didn't even think he was trying to avoid the question either.

"What you said to Gai's brats."

The redhead's mouth formed an "O" in realization and he smiled. "I don't have any reason to lie. Even if it was kind of heavy it's not something I could lie about. The people I've lost deserve better than that, even if they're not here anymore. Despite being alone for years, being a team, protecting people, is something I've always valued and even though they're gone I refuse to disrespect their memory by pretending it didn't happen. Even if it _is_ children asking." His cheeks turned pink and his voice softened. "That's not to say I want to tell _everyone_. I just... If someone asks, I won't lie."

Kakashi certainly understood that sentiment. His best friend had once said that those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. Even though they were gone, he could never abandon their memory, but he could move forward.

He decided to move from such a heavy subject before the atmosphere could become too awkward.

"So where exactly are we going?" Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow at the pair of sages and they both sported matching grins oddly reminiscent of Obito's. Perhaps it _wasn't_ so unbelievable that he'd been an idiot growing up. Jiraiya had been the Obito of his own team (or maybe Obito was the Jiraiya of their team) and he, along with his teammates, were Kage level in strength.

"First we're getting barbeque, then we're gonna spar and _you're_ gonna judge," Jiraiya seemed a bit _too_ gleeful about this and Kakashi had a bad feeling.

There was no way a spar between one of the Sannin and whatever you wanted to call Kaeru would end in anything other than destruction.

He was doomed.

* * *

Barbeque ended up being one of Jiraiya's better ideas, as it turned out. It gave Kaeru a chance to properly talk to Kakashi for the first time since he'd seen the man _crushed_.

"Jiraiya told me you're taking a team this year. He said you've never passed a group of genin before." It wasn't the best way to start a conversation, but it would do.

"They've never passed my test."

"What was your test? Strength? Endurance? Arsenal?" He made sure to avoid what he knew the test was and kept his voice as innocently curious as possible. Years with Jiraiya had taught him a thing or two about acting, even if he only really got _good_ at it when he became an adult.

"Teamwork. They need to display teamwork to pass."

"And how many have failed?" He never did get the answer to this when he was younger and it was something he'd always wanted to know.

The answer was immediate. "Five."

Kaeru was tempted to ask why the Hokage continued if he never passed a single team but refrained and allowed Kakashi to ask him something instead.

"What about you? Have you ever been a teacher?"

Kaeru felt the answer should've been obvious but didn't express any annoyance.

"Not the way you or Gai-san are. I never had the chance. There was a group of kids a little younger than me that looked up to me. I was the first person to acknowledge their little leader and he decided he'd be my _apprentice_. In the end we were more like brothers but still I taught him my favorite techniques. He wanted to be my _rival_ when _apprentice_ didn't work out." His laugh was sad and it was frustrating because _everything_ seemed to become about his losses because that was all he had anymore. He chose to fight off the pain with a smirk. " _Eternal rivals_ , huh?"

Kakashi choked. Kaeru wasn't sure if he actually had any food in his mouth or not with the mask covering his face (or illusion of one, it didn't matter).

" _No_."

Jiraiya and Kaeru laughed brightly at the vehement denial. Of course, he knew Kakashi considered Gai a close friend, and if he didn't now he would in the next few years, but their friendship/rivalry would never _not_ be funny.

"I had a one-sided rivalry with my best friend for a while. He was full of himself, loved waving his name around as if the world _owed_ him because of it. I don't think I'd ever seen him more angry than when he lost to me." It was only a slight exaggeration. Technically the war, Orochimaru, and the whole situation with his brother and Obito angered Sasuke more than a loss to _him_ ever could, especially later on, but as kids it was the truth. Just for kicks, because it something normal people wouldn't joke about, he mentioned _it_. "He stuck an assassination technique I never learned through my chest once too."

It was lighthearted but Kakashi still paused and Kaeru wondered if he would put the pieces together and figure out that he was from the future. It could be a fun game since the man was one of the few others he would ever even _dream_ of trusting that information to.

"And this was your best friend?" Kakashi seemed slightly disgusted, understandably so.

"He wasn't in full control of himself. Almost everything that happened in that fight was done under the influence of a cursed seal. It took _years_ to figure out how to remove it without the bastard _resurrecting_ himself through it," Kakashi's eyes widened in realization. "Oh. Yeah. Orochimaru wanted my best friend's body. It was weird, especially when we were kids."

What he said about Orochimaru seemed to be ignored by the Sharingan user in favor of his mention of the cursed seal-it also caught the attention of two _other_ shinobi.

Two familiar jounin practically jumped into the extra seats at their table. One with long blond hair held tight in a ponytail much like his own, though considerably shorter, and the other taller than even _Jiraiya_ (how unfair). The three who'd been at the table first wore matching startled expressions. Kaeru had known they were there, he'd felt the pair the moment they walked in, but two men who worked in T&I were the last people he'd expected to do _that_. Even for something as important as the cursed seal.

"You can remove Orochimaru's Cursed Seal of Heaven?" The scarred man sounded doubtful.

"Who're you?" He asked for appearances but also because when you start talking to a stranger it's only right you give them your name (even if they secretly already knew because that first test in the Chunin Exams was hard to forget).

"Ibiki," His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're the bounty hunter."

Kaeru smiled sheepishly and Inoichi sputtered a bit.

"This _kid_ killed _five nukenin_?" He really wished that wasn't what he was known for, even if it impressed them he really didn't like killing people. The redhead had long since proven that even the most savage enemies can become allies (he hoped it could work a second time).

"I turned twenty six about a month ago." Kaeru was ignored.

"What's your name kid?" The redhead held back the frustrated sigh, Ibiki was only a year older than him here and Inoichi wasn't much older-ten or so years from what Kaeru could remember.

"Uzumaki Kaeru." He hadn't _intended_ to say his surname but he couldn't help it. The name held the implications of war and if it would get them to stop calling him "kid" he'd take it.

Jiraiya didn't count since the man was his godfather and called him _brat_ more often than either of his names in either timeline-unless the situation was serious.

"Can you really remove the seal?" Ibiki tried not to look desperate but Kaeru had seen even the weakest men crack under the hope that something will work after _years_ of suffering. He'd nearly broken under it as well.

He met Ibiki's dark eyes head on, unwavering. "I can."

And he _could_. Once he figured it out it was startlingly easy. Orochimaru wasn't a master of seals like Kaeru _or_ Jiraiya and weeks studying the design while hiding out in one of the sannin's old bases had provided all the answers. It was a wealth of contradictions, layers that didn't need to exist but served as a means of making its removal more difficult than it needed to be. It wasn't even the kind of seal Danzo used to silence Root members where it vanished upon his death. No, instead it served as yet another method of coming back to life.

Kaeru really hated immortals.

Ibiki and Inoichi (though the blond had yet to actually tell him that) looked at each other before turning back to him, appraising him for a few moments before leaving. He wondered if they were going to bring Anko _here_ or how any of this was supposed to work.

The table was silent for a few moments before Kakashi spoke in a light tone.

"I guess that means you two won't be sparring later then," He sounded way too happy about it.

He hadn't even been in Konoha for a _day_ and his life had already become chaos.

"What just happened?"

Jiraiya laughed but Kaeru was willing to bet he didn't know either.

The beef on the grill was starting to overcook and Kaeru was tempted to let it and make the pervy sage deal with it while he turned tail and ran because physical strength aside, Anko was scary.

He flipped the beef anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it, it was fun to write and I finished it super early so now I'll actually have time to work on Hand Signs during the day and not have to stress so much tonight.
> 
> Next week: We meet some of the almost-genin, some more jounin/tokubetsu jounin and there is a spar or two because I'm itching to practice my fight scenes (it'll probably be terrible but I _need_ the practice
> 
> Next week's chapter might be kinda long but we'll see how it goes. If you want you can guess who Kaeru will meet next in the comments (I'll even take suggestions) the only clue is that he won't be meeting Young!Naruto for another chapter or two. I warned all of you it would be slow burn 😉
> 
> Thanks yet again to everyone who's left comments and kudos and added this story to your bookmarks. You guys have no idea how much that means to me, it seriously is what motivates me.
> 
> ~KoreanOreo


	6. Blur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anko is on pursuit
> 
> Kaeru meets (re-meets?) more people and _finally_ goes on a mission
> 
> Time passes
> 
> _It_ happens... sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer: If this chapter sucks I was having major ADHD issues and on top of that the heat was slowly killing me the _entire_ time I was writing it. Please point out any inconsistencies or problems and I'll fix them ASAP, anything else will be fixed when I go back through and edit after I finish the entire story.
> 
> It's weird, okay, but this is what happens when you write without an outline before realizing you _do_ , in fact, have an outline written when you're over half way finished and less than 5 hours from your deadline. Oops.
> 
> I apologize ahead of time.
> 
> ALSO WARNING: There is a panic attack in this chapter during Kaeru's second point of view, if this is triggering for anyone please skip it! You won't miss anything important if you choose to go past it. I updated the tags as well to warn for this. I've had many panic attacks and I felt the best way to illustrate it effectively was like this so if the description isn't what you want from it, think of it as creative freedom.
> 
> Fun Fact: This chapter was named because of how often I used the word "Blur" in it and not for any special metaphorical reason or anything. I just used it a lot. At least in the first draft, I edited most of them out but I thought the name was fitting for the end.

**Chapter Five: Blur**

* * *

Let it be known that no matter what state she’s in, grateful or pissed off, Anko was _terrifying_. Kaeru knew this, of course, before he even met the woman for the first time in this timeline. Though, when he was Naruto, he never actually had an exceptionally grateful Anko after him before--she’d been grateful when he saved the village sure but it wasn’t _personal_. Removing her Cursed Seal was _very_ personal. No one else had been able to do it before Kaeru managed it and in the timeline before it only disappeared after Orochimaru used it to resurrect himself _again._

Anko had been trying to track him down for almost a _week_ trying to show her appreciation and while Kaeru definitely admired her gratefulness, he didn’t _want_ everyone being this grateful for these kinds of things. If someone has the ability there shouldn’t need to be any kind of compensation. Kaeru knew that not everyone thought that way but it was one of the only things left of _Naruto_ in him other than his DNA and even _that_ might be different now..

Kaeru had a feeling that if Anko finally _did_ find him he’d be experiencing less of her _appreciation_ and more of her frustration but the redhead was nothing if not determined and he diligently avoided her. If Kaeru had his way she’d only find him if he were either on a mission with her (unlikely but not impossible) or if he was _bedridden_ (less likely than Konohamaru becoming Hokage at age _eight_... Probably). He _vividly_ remembered the Chunin Exams and had no plans to repeat that situation (if he did it would likely be a thousand times worse since he was now a grown man and not a twelve year old boy and the container of the Kyuubi--at least to her knowledge).

She didn’t believe him at first. There weren’t many sealing masters left and even _Jiraiya_ couldn’t remove it. The only reason he even knew how to begin with was because they found the sealing formula for it. Technically he’d lied about _why_ he knew how to remove it, since Orochimaru _had_ ,in fact, resurrected himself through Sasuke’s seal but he didn’t lie about the time it took to figure out how to remove it before then. By the time they _did_ they had no use for it; Anko’s seal was gone and so was Sasuke’s and no one else alive that they knew of had one. It was still good to know, just in case (especially after the discussion about time travel began), and finally he was able to actually use that knowledge.

When Ibiki and Inoichi finally returned with Anko she looked distraught. Anger and confusion and hope and fear clouded her face and made it hard for Kaeru to determine her intentions. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. Brown met deep blue and Kaeru could practically feel her anxiety.

“Can you really remove it?” He’d already answered the question for Ibiki and Inoichi but he could understand her need to hear the answer with her own ears.

“Yes.” His voice didn’t waver, he didn’t look away, he met her head on and simply told her the truth.

Kaeru had been expecting to talk to the Hokage about it and then set up a proper time and place to do it under what would probably be more supervision than strictly necessary. He should’ve known better, if he was being honest with himself.

Instead, Anko grabbed his thin, pale arm and _yanked_.

The purple haired woman dragged him out of the booth, out of the restaurant and directly into the Hokage’s office at a speed that would probably make his father jealous. The Bijuu within him were on edge but Kaeru knew better and allowed the dango-loving woman to pull him. He was just glad their swift and unexpected arrival didn’t give the Sandaime a heart attack.

“ _He_ ,” Anko jabbed a finger at him. “Claims he can remove my seal. _You’re_ gonna watch him do it.” Her tone left little room for argument, even for the Hokage.

Kaeru gave the old man his best apologetic look and pulled a chair for her to sit on. It was useless, both men knew, to argue with her when she was in this kind of mood. Anko was rarely this serious and no punishment would prevent her from doing what she wanted.

“This is going to hurt,” He turned to the Hokage.

“It might be better to put some kind of sound proofing up,” Two Anbu appeared out of seemingly nowhere and did exactly that. “Okay…”

“Do you have anything to bite down on? I know there’s sound proofing but this is more for everyone in the room.” Even though he was clearly taking the situation seriously, Kaeru kept his tone light and through his calmness he could see some of Anko’s anxiety melt away.

The snake user took her coat off and bit the sleeve.

“You’re probably going to be pretty tired after this so please make sure to get rest. When you recover you _should_ feel a difference in your chakra. If not, come find me.” Afterall, he’d never actually removed it before and he had no idea what kind of consequences could arise from it.

The only reason he knew the actual removal would be painful and tiring was because of personalexperiences he’d rather forget about.

It was, in fact, a painful process, not just for Anko but for both of them and even though the actual removal only took a little while it was _exhausting_. Even with Gyuuki’s help. The actual removal took less than fifteen minutes and just as he finished Jiraiya and Kakashi were jumping through the office window and _staring_.

Anko looked like a mess. She was sweating and breathing heavy, it likely wasn’t a state most people had seen her in before--even Kaeru only saw her looking similar when they were fighting in the war. The redhead was no better. Kaeru’s hair was slightly frizzy and his pale skin glistened with sweat. He hid his own panting breaths well but not enough to fool anyone who _wasn’t_ exhausted and only vaguely aware. Despite this, however, every part of him was still alert. He didn’t need much sleep anyway and something like this would only tack on another hour or so, _if_ that. He wasn’t worried.

He hadn’t been expecting a brown, purple and orange blur charging at him the following day, though. He booked it, of course and got a _lot_ of odd looks from villagers. Aside from coming out late after yet another near-sleepless night, he didn’t leave his new lodgings at Jiraiya’s barely-used Konoha home much after that--which was unfortunate because it meant that he’d _have_ to confront her at some point.

Today was _not_ going to be that day though. Kaeru was a stubborn man, had been stubborn since _birth_ and would probably be stubborn until the day he _died_.

He was _also_ completely aware that regardless of the time he went out he _always_ had tails--most of the time, early in the morning, Kakashi was one of those tails. He probably wasn’t supposed to know that though.

In a brief moment of stupidity he hadn’t acted on since he was sixteen, on the eighth day in the village he stopped paying attention (only for a second) while running away from Anko and, consequently, he nearly plowed Kakashi into the ground. He’d been _trying_ to get groceries but the younger ( _gods_ , she was younger than him now) woman had other plans and he bolted from the supermarket instead.

The silver haired shinobi reacted accordingly and promptly _slammed_ him into the wall. He might’ve made a snarky comment about kinks if he wasn’t hyper aware of the _crazy woman_ closing in on him instead he ducked under the man’s arm and called out a quick apology before continuing to _run_.

* * *

Uzumaki Kaeru was _weird_.

Those four words had crossed Kakashi’s _many_ times over the last seven days.

The man hardly left his apartment, except to abuse the poor training grounds at night--even if he _did_ restore them before leaving the damage he was capable of causing was amazing and slightly terrifying. Kakashi _also_ wondered if he was still holding back. When the redhead _did_ go out he seemed even more aware than before and if he didn’t know Anko or hadn’t seen the pursuit with his own eye he might not have believed it.

It was odd because someone with as much power as Kaeru _should_ be able to defend easily. Anko wasn’t even _close_ to being the strongest in the village--she was certainly a formidable opponent, especially when she was angry, but even then there were still stronger ones. She wasn’t even _angry_ at him (though his avoidance was bound to change that, Kakashi couldn’t find it in him to pity Kaeru for that). The sharingan user had _no_ idea why the man was so opposed to her gratitude (Kakashi knew why _he_ would be opposed to it, but there was no way she’d do _that_ to someone that could still be an enemy, right?)

He was so open about his past at times, all while still being infuriatingly vague, and so _completely_ closed off other times. He was a living paradox. His best friend made attempts on his life and he’d still genuinely cared for him--didn’t even hold a grudge. He was a survivor of war and, like any other surviving Uzumaki Clan members, completely vanished. He took down _five nukenin_ but he was so far from a coldblooded killer/assassin-for-hire--Kakashi actually saw him bringing food to the stray cats near Redlight District, even if he denied it. His smiles were _real_ , at least most of the time, yet his eyes were practically brimming with _agony_. He had lost a good handful of people in his life, only truly _loving_ a few, no idea how the redhead did it. How Kaeru smiled, _really_ smiled, every day even though he seemed to be reminded of his loss _everywhere_.

Yes, Uzumaki Kaeru was very weird.

They hadn’t had many opportunities to actually talk after Anko kidnapped him; he was either holed up in his room (he wasn’t going to invade his only privacy just yet--he was already living with a self-proclaimed Super Pervert) and training at night or running from Anko with barely any time to even _glance_ at him.

Today was different because he’d never seen the redhead anything but _aware_. His reflexes were sharp and reactions quick, the man seemed to know everything that would happen before they did--catching things before they hit the ground or avoiding racing kids when they came out of _nowhere_. He’d never seen the man so much as _trip_. Not uncommon for a shinobi but in unfamiliar territory things were bound to happen. He hadn’t expected to nearly be mowed down in Kaeru’s moment of unawareness, though.

He reacted subconsciously as the red and green/black blur came flying at him, even though the colorful mass slowed before reaching him he still managed to grab it and slam it into the brick wall of the building beside him. _Kaeru_ being the colorful blur was surprising but before Kakashi could say _anything_ , the redhead slipped out of his grasp and began running again with a clipped apology.

Kakashi was going to make him buy lunch to compensate once he started missions (it would probably be soon since it had been over a week now, since his arrival). Nobody actually got hurt and it wasn’t any kind of hardship to stop him (honestly, how did someone so small even stop _one_ S-Rank nin?) but what did it matter? Free food was free food and when you’re forced to watch someone (who knows they’re being watched and admits it) isn’t helpful. If Kaeru was really a threat to Konoha there would be no way for them to know because it was pretty much impossible to sneak up on him.

Kakashi tried.

The redhead had been shopping in the square and Kakashi assumed that with so many other people around there would be no way for him to be able to distinguish between Kakashi’s suppressed chakra and the barely-there chakra signatures of the villagers surrounding him. He was wrong. He went to poke the redhead between his hip bones and his ribs but Kaeru caught his hand easily and only looked at him with amusement shining in his eyes.

He tried two other times and no amount of chakra suppression or people prevented him from finding Kakakshi before he struck. I would’ve been amazing if it wasn’t frustrating (almost as frustrating as not being able to be late to _anything_ concerning the man because he could _actually_ be a danger).

For a man with so many friends so widely spread, Kakashi also noticed that Kaeru was horribly anti-social (this was coming from _him_ and Kakashi wasn’t the best example of being “social”). He’d only really spoken to himself, Gai and his brats, Inoichi, Ibiki and Anko and those had all been fairly brief interactions. The silver haired man wasn’t sure if it was because of Anko’s determined pursuit or if he was just naturally that distant--maybe it was being in Konoha.

Maybe instead of punishing him by making _him_ pay this time, he’d make him socialize.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

* * *

Kakashi showing up at nine in the morning to drag him to the Jounin Standby Station had been unexpected. Kaeru, over the last week, had experienced _many_ uncomfortable flashbacks (not to mention needing to talk about it like it was really _twenty_ years ago and not _two_ , pretend it was only a couple days instead of almost _ten years_ ). They were triggered by almost everything, it was one of the problems with being back, one of the reasons he’d stayed away, but he also knew that if he didn’t confront this he’d be suffering for the rest of his life. In many ways he _still_ would, but at the very least they would become less frequent. Seeing Neji again had caused a few problems, Shukaku was willing to keep him awake after he screamed Jiraiya awake because he’d relived his death in his dreams. The circles under his eyes were far from pretty but he was barely leaving the house anyway so Kaeru didn’t think it mattered much.

The redhead considered himself lucky Kakashi chose a reasonable time to drag him out (even if it meant running at the first _hint_ he got about Anko being in the area) though Kaeru suspected that he was just three hours later than the time he’d originally planned.

When he answered the door his red hair was down for once and he was only wearing a pair of baggy pants, leaving his seals on display.

“Yo,” Kakashi greeted him with an eye-smile and clipped wave.

“What are you doing here?” He had been sleeping when the bell rang and anyone who’d known him as long as the Bijuu had or _lived_ with him like Jiraiya did knew exactly how often he did _that_.

“It’s come to my attention that no one knows you and I’m here to remedy that!” His cheerfulness in the face of Kaeru’s drowsiness was bound to be annoying.

“I’m getting dressed.”

The miracle of minimal chakra usage got his his dark circles and after sliding a mesh shirt and Konoha uniform shirt and vest over it (with gloves of course) and was back at the door in less than two minutes looking much neater than he had before. His hair was tied back in a neat ponytail and his face lacked any evidence of the drowsiness he felt. If Kakashi drooped just a little about it, who was Kaeru to feel anything but triumphant?

“So where are we going?” There were few places Kaeru hadn’t been to outside of private residences and he _really_ wasn’t in the mood to talk to civilians (aside from having absolutely no clue just what being a Ninja meant, they also had an entirely different moral code and Kaeru absolutely did _not_ want to deal with it).

“Jounin Standby Station.” That wasn’t much better, honestly.

Kaeru, when he’d been Naruto, didn’t know many Jounin by name. He knew many of their faces but he’d never gotten to know them--something he later came to regret--outside of the Konoha 12’s teachers Kaeru could count the number of Jounin he knew _personally_ on both hands. Considering Konoha had _hundreds_ of Shinobi and many of them were Jounin, it was actually sad.

He supposed the brightside would be that there would be less of a chance to be sent into flashbacks around people he didn’t know.

Of course this meant the first people he ran into were some of the people he’d known the _best_ out of all of them.

Asuma, newly minted Jounin Kurenai and Ebisu were sitting in a booth close to the door and Kakashi was dragging him right toward them.

He’d always had the worst luck when it came to Konoha, even if he’s never regretted a moment of it in his life (except maybe his early childhood, that kind of sucked).

He put on his best smile anyway and pretended he wasn’t conflicted. Kaeru was sure his anxiety was still visible though.

When Kurenai’s red eyes fell on him she sat up a little straighter.

“You!” She pointed at him and Kaeru looked like a deer caught in headlights, he was sure.

“Me?” Honestly he didn’t think he’d be able to stand it if any of these people hated him.

“You’re the guy who got rid of Anko’s cursed seal!”

The room went into chaos, nearly every jounin in the station was around him. They were all asking questions about him, about the seal, about the bounties, about the Elemental Nations.

There were too many people.

The sounds, the smells, the sights, everything became overwhelming and suddenly it was hard to breathe.

He wanted Kurama or Sasuke or _anyone_. He wanted them alive, he wanted _air_.

Where was Kurama? Why couldn’t he hear him?

They were too close. Too close. He had no room, there wasn’t enough air.

What was happening? Where was he? Why was this happening?

He didn’t know.

He _didn’t know._

Why didn’t he know?

Why did everything hurt?

Was that smoke he smelled?

His body was in chaos, the Bijuu inside him tried to get his attention but he was too deep.

Everything was on fire. The village was burning. Everyone was screaming.

He couldn’t move.

Sasuke was dying.

Everyone was dead.

Blood was everywhere.

Blood.

Blood.

People were crushed under the weight of the boulders that went flying with every jutsu the rabbit goddess cast.

He was too weak to stop it. Too weak to protect them. Too weak. Too _fucking_ weak.

Was he crying? He couldn't tell. He couldn’t feel anything but the pain in his lungs, his throat, the ache that spread across his _entire body._

This happened before right? Something about Sakura? Or something?

He still couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t remember what he was doing. What was going _on?_

Help.

Anyone.

_Help._

* * *

Kakashi never expected Kurenai to blur out to the entire Standby Station that Kaeru had removed Anko’s cursed seal and he definitely never expected _this_.

Jounin from every booth in the station were around them and he could hear the redhead’s breathing increase and then he _fell_. Kakashi caught him of course and Asuma was quick to help him get the smaller man out of the standby station. A hospital probably would’ve been a good idea for someone more adjusted but being in an area more isolated was the best option any of them could think of. As shinobi, especially ones who fought in war, it wasn’t uncommon to experience a panic attack. Kakashi experienced quite a few after his father died and then more following the deaths of his teammates. Typically they were private and happened after particularly bad nightmares (at least for him, and he’d never actually had to _help_ someone through one before).

Kakashi signaled for Kaeru’s tails to back off for the time being, his ability to sense their presence despite the impressive cloaking the Anbu possessed was likely to hinder his recovery and the three tails left without a sound. Asuma hung back with Kurenai--who felt just as guilty as Kakashi did, if not more (Kakashi doubted it).

He felt terrible. They weren’t exactly friends, Kakashi wasn’t even sure he trusted him, but that didn’t change the fact that if he hadn’t dragged him out to _socialize_ then the panic attack would never have happened. He probably would’ve met Kurenai on a mission or while using one of the training fields and it was just as likely she’d have mentioned Anko’s seal in either instance (and around a lot less people) so really she couldn’t be blamed.

Kaeru mumbled incoherently throughout the attack and thrashed violently when he was touched but the screaming stopped fairly quickly. Things about blood and some unintelligible names. About fire and _burning_. About the screaming he was apparently hearing. Whatever he was seeing, likely the fall of his village and the deaths of his friends and family, it was _violent_ and _brutal_. Far more brutal than anything Kakashi had ever experienced. He hadn’t watched his teacher die, he didn’t really _see_ Obito’s death either but he _did_ remember Rin’s, remembered the feel of her blood on his hand as his Chidori went through her chest.

Kaeru had been on the receiving end of a similar technique if he was to be believed, his best friend plunging his own hand through the redhead’s chest. He saw the scar, barely visible through his thick hair, just over his heart. Kakashi wondered how he survived, if how he survived had anything to do with his lack of scars from his run-ins with missing nin.

There was really nothing Kakashi could do to help the redhead through his attack though. He didn’t know enough, they weren’t close enough, Kakashi hadn’t even _expected_ it. Next time he decided Kaeru needed to make friends, he’d introduce them in a less crowded setting though he doubted many Jounin would get too close on their own now.

Kaeru curled in on himself, still mumbling incoherently but with slower breathing now. He was never exactly sure how long it had been before _he_ was finally coherent after calming down but he assumed it was hours, it always felt like it. Which meant either Kaeru was used to the panic attacks and was calming himself down, one of his seals was helping him (which Kakashi doubted since he couldn’t sense any chakra from them), or panic attacks were much shorter than he thought they were.

“-rama… -suke… -s’nsei… -k’ra…” His mumblings were becoming more understandable, though were by no means actual _words_ , just bits of names slurred and broken. Not even enough of any names to actually figure out a full name to begin with. One of them was his old teacher though.

Names of the dead.

Kakashi wondered if he ever said any of _their_ names when he was in a similar state.

It took over twenty minutes for Kaeru’s blue eyes to clear enough to get coherent sentences out of him.

“-at happ’n’d?” His face was still wet from the tears that fell from his eyes over the course of his attack and his throat was probably raw from screaming but he didn’t look like he was _dying_ anymore.

It was only when the redhead actually looked up at him through squinted eyelids that he noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He was _positive_ they weren’t there when they left and they definitely weren’t there _before_ the attack. He couldn’t remember if they were there before the man changed, could barely see behind his long red lock and pale hand rubbing his eye like a kid. He wondered just how much the pale man actually slept, if he’d been healing at _all_ since his tragedy.

Asuma, ever prepared--and feeling much less guilty than the rest of them--actually had the forethought to get the man water. Kaeru nearly choked on it from drinking too fast but after having his fill he was quick to recover--or fake it at least.

“This is an embarrassing way to meet…” He gave a chuckle that turned into another cough. “I’m Kaeru. Sorry you got caught up in this Kakashi…” He paused when he looked at Asuma and the bearded man gave a half hearted chuckle of his own.

“Sarutobi Asuma, my father’s told me a lot about you.”

“The Hokage? Not _all_ bad, I hope. People tend to react… _Negatively_ after finding out I killed five men, even knowing they’re wanted criminals who were extremely dangerous.”

“Not bad at all,” Asuma was quick to reassure but ended with a vague allusion. “Certainly interesting, though.”

Kaeru didn’t comment and simply looked thoughtful. The sheen of sweat that coated his skin was barely visible now that the bounty hunter-turned-Konoha-nin’s body temperature was finally dropping back to normal, his eyes still slightly glazed as they moved behind the two men.

“Who’s she?” Something about his tone was off but Kakashi put it towards just coming out of a panic attack and turned to see Kurenai peeking out from behind a tree ten meters behind them.

“That’s Kurenai, she’s a new jounin too,” Asuma answered, blushing ever so slightly as he looked at her. “She’s not from outside the village though.”

The bearded Sarutobi walked her over to where Kaeru was sitting and she bowed deeply.

“Kaeru-san, I’m so sorry!”

The redhead suddenly looked _very_ awkward. More awkward than he looked when he realized the first impression he gave almost thirty Konoha jounin was a _panic attack_.

“I-it’s fine! It wasn’t your fault… it’s never happened like that before and no one had any way of knowing…” He trailed off and the pale woman didn’t seem any less apologetic though she stopped for now (probably to make sure he didn’t have another or something of the like).

He didn’t seem that different from before the attack, his body language was open and he was still projecting his emotions clearly but somehow he seemed more closed off than before. Not unexpected after something like that but definitely a change from how the man had behaved before.

Kakashi decided to save him from his misery.

He grabbed the redhead (who, as it turned out, was shorter than Kurenai--not important, just something he noted) and pulled him away from the pair. Later he’d joke that it was to give the two time alone--maybe at their wedding.

“Where are we going now?” Even fresh out of a panic attack Kaeru seemed to be pretty alert--he wondered if he’d been kidnapped a lot in the past. Most people, not that he dragged many people around, complained and told him to stop. Kaeru seemed resigned to his fate. A good choice since Kakashi was the type to drive you crazy out of spite.

“ _You’re_ going to sleep for at least five hours. Then, in a few days--after you recuperate, _we’re_ getting ramen.”

“Asking me out already, Kakashi-san? How forward,” Kaeru teased and Kakashi nearly let the man fall because that kind of snark was _his_ job, thank you. And it wasn’t a date, it was an apology.

Kakashi decided to make him crash. “Nope, I just feel guilty for dragging you out somewhere that ended with you having a panic attack.”

No one ever expected that kind of brutal _honesty_ from Kakashi which made it all the more effective.

Except Kaeru seemed to see right through him.

“Really? And you’re taking me out for _ramen_ to apologize?” At first it sounded like the redhead thought ramen was a lame excuse for an apology but a teasing, albeit tired, smile found its way onto his face. “Are you sure your wallet can handle it?”

Kakashi regretted this decision almost as much as his decision to drag the shorter man out in the first place.

How could he forget the Uzumaki obsession with ramen?

What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

Kaeru only ended up sleeping for three hours instead of five but the fact that he hadn’t woken up to his own screaming made it a win in his book. Besides, Kakashi didn’t need to know that he didn’t get the amount of sleep he’d _ordered_. It’s not like he was forced to listen, even if the concern for his health was nice (the Bijuu were just as concerned but something about human concern was different, even if he _did_ love all nine of the beasts to death).

_A few days_ ended up turning into two weeks because Kaeru was assigned his first mission two days after the incident and then another immediately after. He was just glad he didn’t need to undergo a mental health evaluation or something after so many jounin witnessed _that_.

The first was listed as an A-Rank escort mission but Kaeru thought it should’ve been a B or C rank. Thankfully his partner for the mission _hadn’t_ been in the jounin station when he’d panicked and even though he’d never even heard of the guy until the day the mission was assigned he was nice enough. He was an Aburame who used special albino beetles (they were super cool and the redhead made sure to tell him) and Kaeru suspected he was picked because the Aburame were rarely involved in gossip. He’d been expecting missing nin or, at the very least, higher caliber ninja after the client but all there had been were a few third-rate bandits that were barely worth wasting chakra on. They weren’t even targeting the client specifically, it had been more of a wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time deal.

Kaeru was sure the client only paid for an A-Rank because he was one of the few with money to spare. He would’ve been even more disgusted if they hadn’t been needed at all.

The second mission was intended to be a quick courier run with Hayate and Genma. Both men had been nice to him from the beginning--neither hated him for the Kyuubi attack growing up. He barely knew Hayate outside of getting his ass kicked by him once and proctoring the part of the third section of the Chunin Exams before being killed. His illness was getting worse and Kaeru wondered if he could do something about it and if not him then Tsunade. The man deserved an actual chance at _life_ and Yugao deserved a long happy life _with_ him. Genma was someone he’d gotten to know quite well during the war, he died toward the middle of it all but Kaeru had considered him a good friend in the time they fought together. He wasn’t sure how different the man really was before the war, outside of _him_ proctoring the Chunin Exams as well he hadn’t seen him too much--or maybe he just didn’t remember. From what he could see, the man was walking sass and Kaeru wished he’d known _this_ Genma before he’d died. He was pretty sure Shikamaru had known almost everyone though, he wished he could ask him.

He’d been nervous at first, when he met them. Hayate had been in the jounin station during his incident, though he stayed in his seat. Genma wasn’t there but Kaeru could tell he’d heard about it. Neither man mentioned it and Kaeru wanted to kiss both of them for it.

The mission went smoothly but since they were in Yugakure Kaeru couldn’t help but lead them to where he felt Tsunade’s chakra signature. He was in sage mode, mostly out of boredom but also because his sensory range increased _tenfold_ when he was and it made finding the drunken gambler’s chakra much easier than following her losing streak. He sent Hayate to her alone, not wanting to give himself away just yet and the treatment took longer than he’d expected but the Kenjutsu expert came out looking a million times better. Thankfully his gratitude was mostly directed at Tsunade. He didn’t know what he would do if he had _another_ person chasing him down trying to pay him back for being a decent person. He had to admit that Anko _had_ calmed down since hearing about the incident (if that seemed repetitive, he refused to acknowledge the embarrassing event as anything else). Not to mention the fact that Hayate’s recovery would take most people's minds off of the _bounty hunter who had a panic attack_ and point them towards the healed jounin. It was a win-win.

When he got back Kakashi was waiting. He’d sent a note to the Hokage about running into Tsunade and the woman being able to treat Hayate’s sickness--to excuse their lateness-- and apparently Kakashi had been waiting for his return.

He was really determined to apologize for dragging him out (despite the fact that if Kaeru honestly didn’t want to go there were few forces on the planet that could make him. Kakashi wasn’t one of them). Kaeru wasn’t about to turn down free ramen. He hadn’t been to his favorite (in this and in every life) ramen stand since being back and there were few non-living things he’d missed more during the war.

It was almost hard to believe that he’d nearly been a part of the village for a month. Even if he was in Yu for more than half of it.

On the walk Kakashi talked about how he’d been assigned three brats as their jounin teacher and Kaeru hid a smile. He walked around their names, but it was easy for Kaeru to tell who he was talking about. He missed them so much more than he’d ever been able to express and he was happy to hear that Team 7 was back in business (or rather, was just _starting_ business). He also mentioned that one of his brats in particular had sent the village into chaos by stealing the Scroll of Sealing.

Kaeru decided to tease him just a little, because it was occasionally fun knowing things others didn’t, or at least didn’t think he did.

“And here I thought Konoha was peaceful and only the Uzumaki caused that kind of trouble.”

The twitch of Kakashi’s eye was worth it.

Despite not being the one paying, Kaeru went easy on Kakashi and only ordered two bowls. He wasn’t super hungry and he really didn’t _need_ more of it, even if he wanted it. He didn’t get what he always did either, Teuchi was a smart man and would no doubt notice the similarities and parallels. Instead he ordered a large size miso ramen and a regular sized salt ramen (mostly for his mother since it had been her favorite).

He missed Teuchi and Ayame’s smiling faces and kindness just as much since they had been the closest thing he had to family for a while and their deaths crushed him. It was nice, nostalgic even, being back in the old stand--before Pein’s assault on the village, the one from his childhood.

At first he thought he was just remembering his childhood when he heard it.

“Large miso ramen with extra pork please!”

He turned to see a strikingly orange, and _very_ familiar jumpsuit and the blond hair he’d seen in the mirror during his first sixteen years of life.

Within him, Kurama finally woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super Long Author's Note:  
> Guys real talk, I'm actually dying of heat. It's horrible. Luckily the air conditioner is going in today so I won't need to worry about it anymore after this. Just know that I sat in a hot room for 13 hours straight writing this for you guys while my ADHD was out of control (I don't have meds). 
> 
> It was worth it though because next week, six weeks into this thing, we finally get to see our little blond bundle of joy (we kind of saw him this week but next week we get a whole chapter of just him... probably, idk we'll see how it goes.
> 
> It's not super dialog heavy and is mostly filler but it was necessary to lead into the big introduction (Because I needed time to pass and I'm bad at making large gaps of time seem natural. At the same time I feel like this chapter was important because it shows how deeply Kaeru is actually effected by his trauma (especially since I got a few comments across platforms about how easily he was able to talk about it. I thought I addressed it in the chapter but this one helped clarify, I think.)
> 
> Also, check out my other Naruto story Hand Signs if you haven't yet! It's about how Naruto would go if our favorite blond was deaf and it's super fun to write. There's a poll for the pairing over there (Shikanaru is winning but there's still plenty of time to vote for your favorites!) and tomorrows chapter is where we finally see the beginnings of Team 7 (That will be next week for this story, in case you're wondering).
> 
> Thanks for all your comments/kudos/bookmarks, every notification makes me day better and it motivates me to keep going (especially with the great response this story is getting, especially on Ao3 because it surpassed my first story Triple Trouble in every category in 4 weeks when it took 4 years to get to where it is now. So seriously, thanks!
> 
> Next Week: Naruto (that's it, I think...)
> 
> See you next week!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo


	7. Naruto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto is a twelve year old genin who is an orphan with a crazy teacher who keeps following a weird redhead around.
> 
> Who is he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO! This chapter didn't go as planned, but I like how it went. It was originally going to be 5-7k on Naruto's pov but then this happened instead, oops.
> 
> I have no idea where it came from BUT we do see a bit more of inspiration from Backslide here. Because this particular idea was too fun to ignore--of course it's not exact though. Honestly I haven't read it in a while so I hope I lost enough of that scene to make it at least a little bit different.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter guys!

**Chapter Six: Naruto**

* * *

Somehow, some way, despite _failing_ , Naruto still managed to pass and officially graduate. He wasn’t sure _why_ Iruka-sensei changed his mind (not that he was complaining), maybe because he made clones or because he saved him, but he would be eternally grateful. Because for the first time in his life, that night he saw someone look at him and genuinely care. Not just the Hokage’s level of care where there was a certain level of obligation either. It was a look he’d seen in the eyes of parents when they looked at their children and the complete opposite of anything he’d ever received from _anyone_. The closest he’d come would be the pity he’d occasionally see, the look in their eyes that gave Naruto the feeling they were seeing someone else--not in the way people usually did, when they saw the Kyuubi--but someone they liked, someone they missed.

The blond knew it was probably his parents they were seeing. He wanted to know who his parents were but no one would tell him and it _sucked_. Didn’t he have the right to know? DIdn’t he _deserve_ to know? Was it not enough for people that he had _nothing_? Apparently it wasn’t because everyone still hated him. The hug from Iruka-sensei had been nice though--even if it had been a bit painful for the man because of his injuries (which he felt awful for because they were _his fault_ ).

Then, because he passed and decided to pull an _amazing_ prank with his ID picture he met Konohamaru. He was a nice kid, Naruto had never had anyone _look up to him_ before--no one really liked him much at all, actually--he was kind of like the bratty little brother he never wanted. They had a surprising amount in common; the need for acknowledgement, their goal to become Hokage (even if Konohamaru’s problem was that people respected him _too much_ where no one except the eight year old academy student (and Iruka-sensei) really respected him). He was pretty sure the kid was his only friend--even if they were _rivals_. Naruto still planned on treating him like a student and a brother though. The closest thing he had to a rival was _Sasuke_ and even that was more for recognition from other than any kind of real animosity toward him--even if he _was_ a jerk, he was no different from everyone else who hated him. He’d just thought that if he could beat the _perfect Uchiha_ , he’d get some kind of acknowledgement. Instead he got stuck on the same team as him and he _still_ hadn’t beaten him. Konohamaru was too young and too much like himself--he’d never tell Konohamaru that though. Besides, it was hard to be someone’s rival when you were four years behind them and barely in the academy--there was also no _way_ an eight year old was going to beat him to becoming Hokage.

When he’d learned that they’d be assigned squads of three, Naruto was hopeful. He didn’t really have what people would call “friends” but he definitely knew who he’d rather work with compared to others. He’d always wanted to be friends with Sakura and being sent on potentially dangerous missions with someone was a surefire way to get to know them better. Hinata was really nice--even if he could barely even talk to her because she was so shy she _fainted_ before he could get a word in. Shikamaru was nice enough and Choji was cool too. The only people he _really_ didn’t want to work with were Kiba and Sasuke. Sasuke was a jerk and that’s all there was to it and Kiba wasn’t much better. He’d been barely passing classes himself and yet deemed himself better because _Naruto_ had the guts to try the graduation exam two other times before their official graduation (he claimed it was because Naruto was incompetent for failing both times but considering Kiba hadn’t even _tried_ , he couldn’t really talk).

Of course, with his _amazing_ luck he ended up with Sasuke on his team.

The only highlight had been that Sakura-chan was _also_ on his team--but even _that_ had its down sides, despite _wanting_ to be on a team with her. Sakura-chan was pretty and smart and Naruto admired her a lot. She carried a confidence with her--even if it was mostly in regards to Sasuke--that the blond boy envied and all he’d ever wanted was to be her friend. When it started, he really didn’t know the difference between a crush and friendly feelings--he still didn’t, it didn’t make much sense--but he was _told_ that those things meant he liked her _like that_. So he asked her on dates. But he wasn’t Sasuke so it really never mattered--that didn’t stop him from trying though.

She hated him the same as everyone else did, he could see it when she looked at him with her striking green eyes. She pitied him, but she didn’t like him at all. She was also particularly fond of hitting him when he did something she didn’t like. It made it easy to tell when she was just putting up a front for Sasuke though which was nice (he _knew_ she agreed with Naruto’s idea to prank their new jounin, even if she said otherwise).

She wasn’t the first one to hit him because of something stupid, but that didn’t make it better. It wasn’t like anyone ever did anything about it anyway so Naruto dealt with it. If he complained it would just give everyone else an excuse to call him a sissy or something because he couldn’t handle being hit by a girl. Because they hated him that much.

He didn’t get it, the hatred of his peers. He really didn’t understand it at all. If what Iruka-sensei explained after the whole thing with _Mizuki_ was true then his peers didn’t _know_. So why did they still hate him? Because of their parents? Iruka-sensei said kids didn’t have much original thought--that Naruto was special in that way because he’d never really had a choice. He said it was a good thing and the blond was keen to believe him because the scarred man had never steered him wrong. Now that Naruto thought about it, he was kind of like a brother or something too.

It was nice.

It was also nice finally knowing the reason everyone hated him--he actually had an entire conversation with Iruka-sensei and Hokage-jiji about what Mizuki had meant when he said he _was_ the Kyuubi. Apparently having an age-old, all-powerful tailed beast sealed inside of you by the fourth Hokage on the night you were born after it was freed from its previous host and attacked the village was a _really_ important detail everyone decided he was better off not knowing. He wondered who decided it would be _him_. He wondered if his parents were already dead when the choice had been made or if they were the ones who allowed him to be cursed in this way.

The sealing, the law, everything was explained as objectively as possible but Iruka-sensei was nice enough to make sure he understood completely. The scarred academy teacher made sure he understood that it didn’t mean _he_ was the Kyuubi, that he was in no way responsible for the destruction, that he didn’t kill anyone. He also treated Naruto to ramen again, which was nice--even if he _did_ lecture him about being a ninja.

His new _Jounin Sensei_ was weird though.

He wore a _mask_ covering his face--not to mention he probably didn’t have an eye because he covered his left eye with his forehead protector (it was still cool though). Naruto didn’t think _Kakashi-sensei_ was very happy about having a genin team either--or maybe it was just because of _him_. Whenever the silver haired man looked at him he got this _look_. It wasn’t one the blond had ever seen before he _knew_ it wasn’t a nice look but it wasn’t necessarily _bad_ either. It was _really_ confusing.

Passing _his_ test had been a shock too.

Of course, none of that changed the fact that he was still stuck on the same team as two people who hated his guts and whatever their teacher thought about him. The man had said they were interesting, but he _also_ said, not ten minutes earlier, that he hated them. It was never touched upon again so none of them really knew where they stood with the man who was taking them on D-ranks (he’d never look at cats the same way _again_ ). They’d only been going a few days but the _“missions”_ didn’t take long and they tended to do a few a day and he tended not to talk much to begin with. There was one day, not long after the Bell Test that Kakashi-sensei had muttered something about a redhead and being late. It was weird and Naruto chose not to talk about it--he wasn’t even sure his teacher _knew_ he’d heard him.

He hadn’t expected to actually _see_ what the man had meant by his comment, with Kakashi-sensei being so private about his entire life and all.

As he approached the ramen stand, a reward for surviving his first ten missions with _Sasuke_ as his teammate, he felt a weird rumbling in the back of his head and an odd sensation in his gut. Naruto ignored it, attributing it to hunger after an early start and a day full of tiring D-ranks.

He grinned widely as he entered the stand, calling out his order cheerfully.

“Large miso ramen with extra pork please!”

He sat down to wait, a flash of red moving in his peripheral vision.

He hadn’t noticed them at first, the smell of ramen was too distracting, but while he was waiting for the first of what would likely be many bowls his blue eyes got lost in the train of blood red hair. He thought it was a woman at first, but the owner of the red hair was too angular, slightly too broad and lacking the typical curves. It was a man, albeit a pretty one. He was short, pale and scarred with strange tattoos going up the visible skin of his arms, obscured by his fishnet shirt. He was wearing a jounin vest and Konoha hitai-ate but Naruto knew he’d never seen the man before. There was something familiar about him, in a way Naruto couldn’t understand there was _something_ about him that Naruto would swear he knew--not that he could ever explain it--but he knew he’d never seen the man in the village. There was no way he could forget such a deep shade of garnet red hair--of course there were other redheads in the village but none had hair so long _or_ so deep in color.

He would glance at the blond out of the corners of his eye every once and awhile, deep almost violet blue eyes meeting ones that matched the clear sky at noon with a mischievous gleam that was only there for a split second. It was familiar, a look he’d often seen on his own face when he’d been preparing for a prank for weeks and was finally about to pull it off. It bothered him before he completely forgot about it upon seeing his silver haired teacher sitting beside the redheaded stranger.

“Hey, Kakashi-sensei!” The blond grinned at the cyclops man waved wildly.

The red haired man chuckled at something, looking fond and nostalgic (it was weird) and Kakashi-sensei’s eyebrow twitched. Naruto wasn’t sure what that meant.

The brief thought that maybe the man was on a date crossed his mind before he threw the idea out the window. There was no _way_ he was on a date, Kakashi-sensei wasn’t social enough (he didn’t think he’d ever seen the man so much as talk to someone besides Iruka-sensei and the Hokage).

His hope of seeing just what Kakashi-sensei was hiding behind his mask was killed for the time being too, at the sight of his empty ramen bowl. He _just_ missed seeing his face! Maybe the redhead had seen it.

He eye-smiled at Naruto with a small wave.

“Ah. How are you?” His voice didn’t give much away but he _sounded_ happy.

“Fine, what are you doing here?” Now was as good a time as any to get _some_ kind of answer.

“Oh, we were just leaving.” He pulled the redhead by his shoulder, placing money on the counter before they both vanished before Naruto or the mystery redhead could say anything on the matter.

Or _not_. No answers for Naruto. It seemed _no one_ wanted to give Naruto answers.

Maybe they _were_ on a date then.

Whatever was going on, he was going to find out.

* * *

Seeing Naruto at the ramen stand hadn’t been counted on. It probably _should’ve_ been considering the boy’s addiction to it, but it _wasn’t_ and Kakashi had no doubt started something he wouldn’t be able to finish without the pair meeting.

Naruto had been too curious and his reaction would no doubt spark _something_ in both Uzumaki. Mischief was in their blood and Kakashi had no intention of being caught up in it because while Naruto might be fairly simple, Kaeru was _not_ and the silver haired jounin had no doubts being marked as a target by the redhead would end in regrets. Particularly because the man was an experienced shinobi, capable of taking down S-Rank Nukenin by himself and Naruto was a naive genin. He had few doubts that the blond would be capable of being great if he pushed himself (if he had _anyone_ else as a teacher) but at the moment he was barely a threat to the cats he had him chasing--not that his teammates were much better.

When Kakashi had all but _yanked_ Kaeru away from the ramen stand, he hadn’t been thinking as clearly as he should’ve been. Really, he was just glad that the man had been finished with his ramen, he’d probably have regretted it otherwise. They ended up on a training field, genin were training with Kurenai close by but none of them seemed to have noticed the intrusion, and Kaeru was looking expectantly at him.

He was definitely suspicious.

“Was that one of your _brats,_ then?” He sounded amused and something about him seemed lighter but Kakashi wasn’t quite sure why.

“Ah. Yes. Naruto,” He didn’t elaborate--he’d need to talk to the Hokage about this, no doubt.

“Was he the one you tied to the stump?” He still sounded amused. Kakashi wasn’t sure there was much outside of ‘ _he’s your relative’_ that he could say to ruin the good mood he seemed to be in.

“Yes, he’s… something.” Honestly Kakashi didn’t think there was a way to describe him objectively that wouldn’t sound insulting.

Naruto wasn’t super smart. He wasn’t an _idiot_ , not completely at least, he’d never have survived on his own _or_ graduated if he was. He just had a habit of not thinking anything through. His instincts weren’t honed but he always seemed _aware_. It was similar to Kaeru, actually, being on the run, being the pariah of the village, being hunted. They had more in common than Kakashi had first thought after meeting the kid in person for the first time. There was only so much one could notice while staying in the shadows--especially when even doing _that_ was a fairly uncommon occurrence.

“He’s the one who stole the scroll, isn’t he?” Kakashi wasn’t sure why he bothered phrasing it as a question. Apparently seeing the blond for only a few moments gave the redhead a fairly good idea of Naruto’s character. He seemed to be able to do that with everyone.

The idea of Kaeru being a psychic of some kind would’ve been more far fetched if _he_ couldn’t see the future in some manner as well. Maybe it was a bloodline or something.

“That obvious?”

“It would’ve been less obvious if you hadn’t mentioned the bit about your troublemaker loving orange.” His amusement turned to stifled laughter and Kakashi felt like an idiot.

He wasn’t normally like this, so comfortable around _anyone_ , let alone a practical stranger but Kaeru seemed magnetic. It was affecting his brain apparently because _forgetting_ that he’d mentioned such a crucial detail was horribly out of character.

Before he could say anything else a kunai from the team of genin came flying in their direction. It was moving fairly slowly, would be easy to dodge if it were actually going to hit them, and was clearly thrown by someone with little experience or little confidence.

Kaeru caught it easily as it passed in front of him and in his shining eyes his bubbling amusement was still there along with that same awareness that never seemed to go away. He didn’t seem overly concerned about the kunai though.

They looked over at the source and Kurenai along with her three students were coming their direction. One was a tall boy--clearly an Aburame if the tall collar and dark glasses were anything to go by-- along with a shorter boy carrying a tiny dog, possibly an Inuzuka then, and a girl with short, dark hair and pale eyes--a Hyuuga.

“Kaeru-san! Kakashi-san! Sorry about that… What are you doing here?” Kurenai’s genuine concern faded into genuine confusion and Kakashi easily fell into his mask of laid back aloofness.

“Kurenai-san! We were just running from one of Kakashi-san’s genin! I’m assuming these are yours, then?”

Kakashi didn’t think he’d ever get used to Kaeru’s genuine cheerfulness when _his_ past had been far worse than his own. Kakashi wondered how he did it.

Kurenai didn’t question why they were running from one of Kakashi’s genin. Perhaps she assumed it was Naruto and that Kakashi was keeping them apart.

“Oh. Yes, we were trying to improve accuracy with kunai since it was a weakness.”

Now that Kakashi thought about it, he should probably do actual training with his team too. Maybe he’d be able to force the concept of teamwork into their tiny skulls once and for all.

His dark eye fell on Kaeru, who was happily conversing with Kurenai while he silently read his book.

Maybe when he and Naruto finally met, the man would be able to help him. He seemed to have a talent for getting through to people.

* * *

Naruto would almost definitely be curious now. It wasn’t a bad thing but it was surprising that Kakashi had acted in such a rash way, amusing really.

Falling into his mind scape and hugging the life out of Kurama after _years_ without him was hard to resist--even if the fox was pretending to be grateful for how occupied he was at the moment. It only meant that when he finally went back to his temporary home with Jiraiya for the day that he’d have all the time in the world to show the Kyuubi his love.

He knew the fox would miss him too if the situation was somehow reversed.

There wasn’t much that would be able to kill his good mood now (Tobi definitely would, but Tobi wasn’t there, so it was fine).

Running into Naruto at some point, particularly after he’d become a genin and _especially_ around Ichiraku Ramen was expected. As big as Konoha was, it would’ve been impossible for the prankster to _not_ see him at least once and if Naruto could see him, Kaeru could sense him.

He wasn’t sure exactly how long it had been decided it would be before he’d be properly introduced to _himself_ , he’d assumed it would be a month or two months. That didn’t mean that, as long as a premature meeting happened _naturally_ , it couldn’t happen sooner. Kaeru had only gotten more sneaky as he got older and it was the one area that being short _helped_ (he was definitely going to make mini-him eat his damn vegetables, there couldn’t be _two_ short versions of himself and if _one_ of them could be tall it was good enough for Kaeru).

Meeting Team 8, on the other hand, _hadn’t_ been expected--at least not _now_. Especially not by getting a kunai thrown at him, even if it really hadn’t been thrown _at_ him at all. Hinata’s lack of confidence practically coated the kunai, evident in its pitiful speed and the way it deviated so far from its original target.

He wondered if he would be meeting _all_ of the Konoha 12. It wouldn’t be far fetched given that all that was really left was Team 10 and the two remaining members of Team 7. Not to mention that he was bound to meet the Jounin Commander, and Shikamaru’s father, Shikaku sometime soon--likely as soon as he passed whatever tests have been set up for him (including his first two missions).

“Oh. Yes, we were trying to improve accuracy with kunai since it was a weakness.”

Kaeru could tell.

Everyone ignored the offended _“Hey!”_ that came from the shorter of the two boys, the one with familiar red fang markings on his cheeks.

In the academy, from what he could remember, the only member of Team 8 who’d really been _good_ at throwing kunai was Shino. Hinata had the theory down and simply lacked the confidence to actually _land_ it and Kiba had _too much_ confidence but lacked the skill to back it up. It was one of the few things he’d been better at than the dog-boy when they’d been in class together. Of course, he was also better at the Henge and if he actually bothered to pay attention he would’ve been better at most things anyway--or maybe that was wishful thinking. Either way he had the dog-boy beat by the time he was fifteen, so really what did it matter?

“And which of them should I return this to?” For a sentence that would’ve sounded angry coming out of most people, Kaeru managed to make his tone oddly comforting and casual. It surprised even himself.

Of course, he already _knew_ who threw it, but he didn’t want to call her out like that.

“O-oh. That’s m-mine…” He gave her a considering look.

To anyone looking at the redhead it would simply seem like he was trying to figure her out, and he was just not in the way they were probably thinking. He knew Hinata, knew her quite well in his old timeline, and dealing with _this_ could be something very easy or something very challenging. He simply had to make her change on her own without doing anything but talking. It was something he’d done to his enemies once upon a time, before he found that some people just _wouldn’t_ stop no matter what and keeping his precious people safe had to come before the lives of those out to hurt them. Using it here should be even easier because he’s convincing her to _act_ instead of stop and Kaeru is nothing if not convincing.

“You should be more confident, how else are you going to keep _those two_ in check?” He gestured to the pair of boys behind her and gave her a kind smile as he passed the kunai back.

She gave a shy smile but didn’t say anything.

“Hey! We don’t need someone to keep us in check!” The loud, offended voice of a pubescent Kiba ruined the moment.

“I don’t believe I was talking to you, though I can tell just from your outbursts that that’s a _lie_ ,” Kaeru’s voice was amused but Kiba still got offended, even if Hinata clearly thought it was funny.

“Who do you think you are, anyway?” He was pouting now and the redhead had never noticed just how _cute_ they all were. He remembered thinking, back when he _was_ them (or one of them, at least) that they were _grown up_ now that they were ninja. Looking at them now, he was _so_ wrong. _They_ were so wrong. They were children and a grown up world.

“Where are my manners? I’m Kaeru. Who would you be?” He asked the question directly to Hinata, blatantly ignoring Kiba yet again. He figured _this_ Kiba could stand to learn some humility.

“H-Hyuuga Hin-Hinata,” She bowed slightly, kunai now back in her leg pouch.

“I’m Inuzuka Kiba, this is Akamaru,” He held his dog proudly and Kaeru could help but smile at the puppy.

“It’s very nice to meet you Hinata-chan, Akamaru,” He paused, watching as Kiba’s face turned red before relieving the boy. “And Kiba-kun, of course.”

He looked down at Shino.

“And who might you be?”

“Aburame Shino.”

Shino had always been quiet and hard to read--that one mission they had together when they were twelve and thirteen had been _terrifying_ because he’d never seen the boy lose his composure before. He never saw it again, but talking about it was fun when they needed a pick-me-up during the war.

“Not much of a talker, huh? That’s okay, neither is he,” He gestured to Kakashi, who was quietly reading his book.

Part of Kaeru wondered if he’d been waiting for someone to acknowledge his presence. Probably _not_ but the possibility existed.

“So, trouble with kunai? That’s a pretty easy fix. Throw a kunai at the target.” The implied _and I’ll fix whatever’s wrong_ hung on the end and the three genin stared at him for a moment before glancing at their _actual_ teacher.

Kurenai shrugged, looking slightly confused herself and each genin wordlessly pulled out kunai and threw them at their targets.

Shino’s was the closest to the center, off by a few centimeters to the left but still a good throw for a fresh genin who _wasn’t_ a prodigy.

Kiba’s was buried deep in the target and hung around the outer rings, far from the center.

Hinata’s wasn’t _in_ the target at all. It had hit it, there was a clear scratch where the contact had been made, but it wasn’t thrown hard enough to embed itself in the wood of the target.

All easy fixes then.

“Shino-kun, are you right handed?” The question no doubt seemed odd to everyone but Shino answered in his usual toneless voice anyway.

“Yes.”

“You’re compensating too much on your non-dominant side, aim slightly more to the right.”

He moved on to Kiba.

“Kiba-kun, you’re concentrating too much on the speed and power behind your throw and not enough on your aim. You can work on speed and force after you can hit the center.”

“Hinata-chan, everything you’re doing is right. Your form is perfect and you’re releasing it on time but you don’t have enough confidence in your throws. Your hesitation reflects on your throw and even though you’re hitting it almost dead-center, your kunai isn’t burying itself in the target,” Hinata listened to every word he said but still didn’t _quite_ meet his eyes. “Try this; forget about everything else and focus on your kunai and the target. When you look at the target, think about your goals. Think about what you want out of the life you're living and when you throw your kunai, imagine you’re throwing yourself at those goals. Imagine you’re proving anyone who’s ever doubted you, even if that’s just yourself, wrong. Your power is decided by _you_. No one else can choose your strength. Prove to me that you’re strong. You can do it.”

Their eyes were wide (those he could see anyway) and jaws slightly gaped and Kaeru smiled at them all.

“Ready? Throw another.”

Shino went first, the kunai burying itself into the target just millimeters from the center. Almost perfect and the redhead’s smile turned proud.

“Kiba-kun, go.”

Kiba’s kunai was _almost_ thrown too lightly but he was centimeters from the bullseye. It wasn’t as close as Shino’s to the center but it was a _significant_ improvement.

“Hinata-chan,” She stepped up to her target once again. “Calm down. You can do this.”

She took a deep breath, closing her pale eyes before reopening them and taking her stance. There was a fierceness in her that Kaeru hadn’t seen until she was defending him from the last of Nagato’s Six Paths of Pain.

She drew her kunai back before sending it off. It moved quickly and buried itself deeply into the old wood of the target. _Bullseye._ The blade landed dead-center.

“Well done,” He grinned, first at Hinata--who looked _shocked_ at what she’d accomplished--then at all of them. “Keep practicing.”

They seemed rejuvenated at the sight of their kunai so close to the center or _in_ the center and hurried to collect the ones they threw to start fresh.

Kurenai’s red eyes were wide as she watched her students’ drive to continue. Kaeru remembered from an old conversation that it had been hard to motivate the trio early on. Kaeru wondered if _she_ needed a lesson in confidence as well. She was a new jounin with her first genin team and was still learning. Even if Kaeru had never had a proper team himself (and he’d been _awful_ at teaching when he was hanging around Konohamaru and his friends), years of commanding armies, of learning, of teaching what _he_ knew to help with the war, it was almost like breathing.

“How did you _do_ that?” She sounded awestruck and it made Kaeru’s cheeks pinken. He wasn’t used to _this_ kind of awe. He’d been feared, respected, hated, even _loved_ but he’d never seen that kind of look anywhere but children after he’d defeated Nagato.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Well, I just repeated things I was told as a kid,” It was _pathetic_ but it was the truth. “I wasn’t great at _anything_ growing up and I had a lot of help. I’ve dealt with issues regarding my confidence, both sides of it, and more simple issues like with Shino-kun. If _I_ could fix my problems, then they could do the same easily,” The confidence he had in them was clear in the way he’d given direction just was it was clear now and Kaeru knew there would be no doubts. “I was confident they could fix it and they responded to that confidence.”

It was true. Growing up, seeing Iruka-sensei or Jiraiya’s confidence in him when they were teaching him something _always_ made it easier to believe he _could actually do it._ It was like some kind of magic. It worked with him, it worked with Konohamaru, and he _knew_ it would work on the two more average members of the graduating academy class as well as the one from the bottom all the same.

“Would you be willing to help out again…? I know I shouldn’t be asking for favors after… but they seem to like you. I’ve never seen Hinata like that before.”

Agreeing was easy enough because no matter how much looking at them hurt, seeing them _alive_ would always feel a million times better than the grief he felt for losing them.

Kakashi was staring at him with an odd look in his eye paired with the same interest he’d given Sasuke the first time he’d used his _Great Fireball Jutsu_ during their Bell Test.

He almost dreaded the ideas that would come from it but he knew Kakashi would never be dumb enough to start a prank war with an Uzumaki. If a twelve year old _academy student_ could deface the Hokage monument and only get caught when he _finished_ then imagine what a twenty six year old _war veteran_ with higher-than-kage-level strength could do. As stubborn as Kakashi was, he’d never unleash that kind of hell on himself.

He looked back at the trio of excited genin, throwing kunai at the targets and _not_ getting angry or frustrated when they missed but becoming more determined.

A booming voice, one he’d missed very much the last two years, echoed in the back of his mind.

**_“Good job, brat.”_ **

**~**

Kaeru could say with confidence that he didn’t expect to run into Naruto again for a while, let alone while he was grocery shopping the next day because Ero-Sennin was too lazy to do it himself. The fact that he’d also _happened_ todiscover that Kaeru was a good cook (a skill he’d actually obtained when he was traveling with the older man during his two-almost-three year training trip) was completely coincidental, or so the super pervert claimed.

He was focused completely on the quality of the vegetables he was picking and tracking his shadows that he hadn’t noticed his mini-me nearly crash right into him until it was almost too late. He grabbed the blond’s collar just before Naruto fell to the ground in a poor attempt to tackle the redhead--or _something_ , Kaeru wasn’t completely sure what he was trying to do.

“Well, hello. You really should be more careful, you could get hurt. Or hurt someone else,” Really, he thought that he’d grown out of that kind of thing when he’d become a genin but perhaps he just lacked opportunity.

Walking away from _that_ wasn’t something most people would do, especially when it came to _him_. He couldn’t tell if it upset himself or not, he was trying too hard to ignore it because Naruto would notice--because _he_ always noticed, for an idiot, as he’d said before, he was a very observant child.

The chill he’d gotten as his slightly-different chakra signature faded could only mean one thing.

As he continued to feel faint wisps of his own chakra throughout the day, and the next few days, following him around the village, he knew his suspicion was right.

**~**

The first prank had been a simple one.

Naruto had found where he was living and placed a paint bucket above the door. It might’ve worked if Jiraiya hadn’t gotten hit with it first--Kaeru took great joy in that because he’d seldom gotten to prank the old man in his own time. It was worth the looks they got for running around the village like crazy people. Kaeru laughing, almost cackling, and red in the face as he was chased by a very _vibrant_ orange coated Jiraiya. Gai had gotten a particularly good laugh at that as they’d raced past him and Kakashi.

Kaeru rarely got to have fun in such a way but now he was on the lookout.

**~**

The next prank was less cliche but no less fun.

He’d been walking to one of the empty training grounds, fairly early too--and he _knew_ Naruto, _himself_ , hated getting up early--when he sensed the familiar chakra of Kurama before he became whole and his own before he began cycling his chakra with the nine beasts sealed within him.

The mudball actually came from the _opposite_ side his counterpart was on, likely triggered by clones then, but still easy enough to dodge.

He’d never been on the receiving end of his own pranks before (for obvious reasons).

It was kind of fun.

Of course, cleaning the _glitter_ bomb that had gone off when Jiraiya had opened their door when they came back from a meeting with the Hokage regarding his next mission was _less_ fun. The picture of Jiraiya covered in glitter looking like he just got back from a _club_ was _very_ fun.

He wondered what Naruto would do next.

He wondered if he should catch the kid in a trap of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops... You guys thought they were gonna meet for real, didn't you? (as in, Naruto would discover their relation)  
> Nope, sorry, that's not happening this week, but soon guys. This was necessary for plot reasons--but mostly because I had intended for Kaeru to meet a bunch of people last chapter and instead he had a panic attack. Sometimes these stories write themselves guys.
> 
> Next week we see the plot progress! Finally! (After 6 weeks!) All because we've introduced a short blond, how cute.
> 
> In case it was unclear, that last sentence is me asking you guys if I should do it.
> 
> Vote in the comments: Should Kaeru prank Naruto back (nothing crazy, poor Naruto is only twelve, that's not to say pranking won't happen again in the future though 😈)
> 
> Every comment/kudos/bookmark makes my day a bit better and makes life easier to deal with so thank you to everyone who has done so, you're all amazing and I love all of you!
> 
> See you next week!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo


	8. War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaeru becomes acquainted with Team 10 and has a much better meeting with Asuma than last time.
> 
> Pranks happen.
> 
> Progress is made, subtly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short. I'm sorry, I was tired all day and the weather was crappy. I made sure it was good though, so even though it's less words than I would've normally liked, I kept the quality high... I think.
> 
> Next week will probably pretty long to make up for it, so no worries.
> 
> I'm bad at pranks so I'm sorry if you're disappointed by that, it's harder to write than I thought it would be 😅.
> 
> Also, I've mentioned it before but after I finish this story I do plan on going through everything thoroughly and editing. I don't have a beta to do it before chapters go live and if I do it during they'll never get posted because I'll nitpick. So small mistakes (weird spacing, too many italics, spelling, weird sentences, etc) will be fixed during then along with any inconsistencies that occur over the course of this story (dates, events that did/didn't happen, etc). So pointing these things out in the reviews is extremely helpful for future reference (both for new chapters and for when I go through to edit).
> 
> Before I go. the response to this story has been unbelievable and I can't thank you guys enough. I never expected this many people to like this story, especially so quickly. So seriously, thank you for every kudos, every read, every bookmark, every subscription and especially every comment. You guys are amazing.

**Chapter Seven: War**

* * *

There were many reasons why Naruto played pranks.

Sometimes it was as a punishment. The villagers were often rude and hated him for reasons he hadn’t understood until recently (and even now he still didn’t completely understand). They’d glare and whisper. They wouldn’t let him in their shops or would give him the worst product available. They bullied him, called him all kinds of horrible things, insulted his abilities. They _earned_ what they got, even if it was nowhere near what they deserved.

Sometimes it was for fun. Naruto didn’t have much money or many belongings and no one really liked him so actually having _fun_ (that wasn’t at his own expense) was a fairly rare occurrence. Practical jokes were fun, laughing at others instead of being laughed at for once was _also_ fun and if the blond was being honest coming up with pranks and setting them up was fun. It was a learning experience unlike anything they did in the academy. They hadn’t done practical lessons often, though when they did it was where Naruto tended to do the best (except Taijutsu spars, not that he’d ever admit it out loud). It was much easier to learn from his mistakes when he could _see_ them. Lectures were boring and he had trouble paying attention but actually _doing_ things was what being a Ninja was. Actually putting something together was much better than a dumb lecture (he meant no offence to Iruka-sensei, though).

Most times, though, it was for attention, though he was loath to admit it. If people weren’t glaring at him and whispering behind his back they were more often than not, ignoring him.

When he didn’t get the opportunity to talk to the weird redheaded man, who was _definitely_ new (Naruto had seen too many people around the village and there was no way he’d missed someone who stood out so much), he knew exactly how to get his attention. He wasn’t very social--he’d only seen him talk to Kakashi-sensei and a few other jounin, _never_ civilians unless he was buying from them. He also didn’t leave his house much. He was really weird.

Naruto persevered, though. Kakashi-sensei wasn’t going to give him answers and he wasn’t great at starting conversations (Iruka-sensei gave him a lecture about it once but it didn’t help much) so this was the only way he knew.

It would’ve worked too if the man wasn’t somehow _immune_.

 _Everyone_ fell for Naruto’s traps at least once, _especially_ when they were new. This man seemed hyper aware of everything he tried.

Glitter bombs, paint bombs, stink bombs, mud bombs, itching powder, water bucket on the door, _paint_ bucket on the door, super glue on the door knobs, water balloons, attempt after attempt and _nothing._ He hadn’t hit the man _once_. He got the even weirder man the redhead lived with, civilians, other jounin, but the man was always able to dodge.

It was unfair and confusing until he’d seen _it_.

The familiar glint of mischief he’d only ever seen when he looked in the mirror. A telltale sign of a fellow prankster. If only he’d noticed _before_ he’d been caught in a trap not unlike the one he’d been caught in during Kakashi-sensei’s bell test.

Now, hanging by his ankles from a tree and staring deep into blue-violet eyes, Naruto knew he hadn’t played a few meaningless pranks for attention. _No_. Naruto had started a war.

No one had _ever_ bested him at pranking, never even tried pranking him back before.

He wasn’t prepared for what it would entail.

* * *

The pranks from his mini-me were cute, but dodging them left and right (because he’d always been stubborn and never quite knew when to quit) was _boring_. Even if it was amusing whenever Jiraiya or _anyone_ else got hit instead of him, it was starting to interfere with his actual life. Kakashi was getting worried (because they weren’t supposed to meet yet) and the redhead himself knew that eventually he’d have to talk to the blond.

Kaeru wasn’t even entirely sure he knew _why_ he was being pranked. It was likely because he was trying to capture his attention (mission accomplished, Naruto) but it was _also_ possible he’d said something that had offended his younger self. His fuse had been painfully short at that age and a simple _look_ was enough to set him off at times. He’d only know if the brat (because he _had_ been a brat and he wasn’t too proud to admit it either) actually managed to catch him--which wasn’t going to happen--or if _he_ caught the persistent blond himself.

That wasn’t to say he’d make it easy for his younger self. His _cousin_. He’d probably have to get used to referring to him as family lest he accidentally slip and tell someone they don’t just share a blood relative but also a soul. Because that would go over so well with the Hokage, Kakashi and every other ninja of the village. Over a decade of experience as a very capable shinobi meant his traps were bigger and better than ever--that wasn’t to say they’d be _deadly_ (he wasn’t stupid enough to kill his past self, for a number of reasons). They would be much better than a mud bomb catapult or glitter bomb or anything he had access to as a child, as well as much more knowledge at his disposal.

He decided it would be better if he gave the kid some hints as well. They looked plenty alike--both wearing the face of Kushina Uzumaki, though Kaeru’s was more on the gaunt side where Naruto still carried what remained of his baby fat around his cheeks. If he could get one of Naruto’s age-mates to notice that fact (it would probably be Shikamaru, it was _always_ Shikamaru) then putting the idea of a relative in Naruto’s head would be easy.

He _did_ have to be careful though. Kurama, the half inside of Naruto, would be able to sense the whole version of himself within Kaeru if he wasn’t careful--just as Gaara’s Shukaku could sense his own and the same with the other Bijuu and their current jinchuuriki. It was different in the case of Naruto, where he only contained half of his power and it was likely he’d never even receive the other half. The only reason _he_ had was because Kurama had been ripped from him and it was the only way for him to survive. Being around the blond could wake the beast lying dormant within him. Kurama hadn’t shown himself until his anger had gotten the better of him in Wave, there was no reason to speed that process up. He’d like Naruto and his Kurama to have a much better introduction than he and Kaeru had received--preferably one that _started_ with an attempt at friendship and didn’t end with one (especially since without a war, there would be no reason for them to team up to begin with).

None of this changed the fact that he would like Naruto to meet his parents. He had no doubt that chakra tug-of-war was in the blond’s future and with it, a one-on-one with his mother. He'd also like the blond to meet his father. Their father was one of the most amazing shinobi in the village and Naruto definitely deserved to get a punch in on the older blond just as he did (he loved his father, he really did, but he did deserve it). Kaeru had been able to fight with him, had been able to expand the range on his most notorious technique and been able to save hundreds of shinobi. He’d gotten the closure he’d always needed. The redhead _also_ knew that in order to actually meet him, Naruto would have to release eight Tails which… wasn’t a good idea to say the least. Kaeru wondered if he could construct a seal that could bring the chakra that was sealed away forward without it (after Kurama and Naruto began working together, of course).

Heavy thoughts aside, Kaeru set his first trap for the troublesome twelve year old. It was simple to start. A rope trap hidden in one of his favorite places to watch his pranks go off from the shadows, beneath a tree and behind some bushes. He should’ve expected something like this to happen eventually, in fact he was sure Sasuke would’ve gladly fought fire with fire if he hadn’t been dealing with his grief and need for vengeance.

Unfortunately, just as the redhead expected, Naruto fell for it quickly. His ankle became trapped in the rope and his shorter-than-average, underweight body (he _really_ needed to fix that) was easily hoisted into the air. Sky blue eyes were blown wide from shock and a small flash of fear flickered across his face before he figured out just what had happened. They snapped to Kaeru’s noticeable red hair easily and his expression only worsened as he realized just who had set him up.

He had no doubt Naruto noticed the glint of mischief in his eye. He was a far more observant kid than he was given credit for (you need to be observant to get away with defacing every head on the Hokage monument and not get caught until you’re _finished_ ). He wondered what conclusions he’d draw from it.

In retaliation, which was hardly retaliation when the blond had yet to actually get him, Naruto rigged a combination of paint bombs and stink bombs that would’ve been nearly impossible for the average shinobi to doge. They were everywhere and only someone with above-average speed would actually be able to do it, or a jutsu or seal that took less than a second to perform. He may not know his father’s Hiraishin, but that didn’t mean he was slow. Dodging was easy and while villagers, shinobi and civilians alike, weren’t so happy about the sound (and the smell) it had been set far enough away to avoid any real damage (to people or property).

While planning his next “attack,” Kaeru also searched for Team 10. No one on Team 8 would be able to help out in the way the redhead needed, all the members were either too quiet, too shy, or wouldn’t make the connection. Hinata might’ve but at this point she could barely speak around the blond, even if his mini lesson had improved her confidence, it wouldn’t get rid of her crush. Shikamaru, on the other hand, would definitely notice. Ino might as well given that at this age she was boy-crazy and frequently judged people by their appearance. Of course, seeing Asuma again was _also_ important, seeing as they barely got a chance to talk before (panic attacks were quite distracting) and he still needed to officially meet Shikamaru’s father as well since he was the Jounin Commander, no matter how much he would prefer to avoid it (having a genius of Shikaku’s level poking around his head would make it especially difficult for him to hide the fake he was actually a time traveler).

Finding people was so much easier when you could sense their chakra from miles away.

“Asuma-san!” He made his voice sound surprised, they didn’t need to know he was looking for them.

“Kaeru-san,” He looked significantly awkward, probably because of the state he’d been in during their last meeting. “What are you doing here?”

 _Here_ was one of the training grounds not far from the Nara Clan Compound--likely because at this stage in their professional relationship they were severely unmotivated. If Kaeru remembered correctly, they didn’t start taking training seriously until after the disaster that was the Chunin Exams and _that_ wouldn’t do.

He answered the taller man’s question with a half truth.

“Trying to catch a break. One of Kakashi-san’s brats has his sights set on pranking. I’ve dodged everything but it’s getting boring. It’s good I ran into you though! I know our last meeting wasn’t…” He let the older man fill in the blanks there, there was no need for the three genin to know their first meeting was a bigger disaster than his original meeting with _Jiraiya_.

“Who’re you?” A snobbish, feminine voice demanded from beside them. Platinum blond hair he hadn’t seen in years took over his vision but he kept his face from expressing the stab of pain he felt. It really had been too long since the Rookie 9 or the Konoha 12 had been all together.

“Ah! Where are my manners? I’m Kaeru. I’m a new jounin to Konoha,” It would probably be better to avoid mentioning the bounty hunting thing in front of the blond. She was a known gossip and word would spread like a wildfire that would burn his chances to make friends.

People tended to _not_ want to be friends with a guy who made the majority of his money ending lives, even if those lives _were_ extremely dangerous shinobi who were hellbent on world destruction and domination.

Shikamaru didn’t seem to care about that.

“You’re the bounty hunter my dad’s been wanting to meet,” Of course the little genius would know about that--either because Shikaku didn’t care to hide it or he was just that perceptive (both were equally believable, honestly).

Ino’s pale eyes widened and Choji, who’d barely seemed to notice he was there, paused his eating.

Kaeru’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. It was a habit he carried from childhood and an action he knew would be familiar to at least one of them.

“I’m guessing your father is the Jounin Commander, then? I’ve been meaning to meet with him…” He trailed off. “So what would your names be then?”

“Nara Shikamaru,” His answer came paired with a yawn and the redhead couldn’t contain the chuckle that slipped out at the sight.

“Yamanaka Ino…” She seemed hesitant to tell him, no doubt because of the revelation that he was a bounty hunter before coming to Konoha.

“Ah! Is Inoichi-san your father? I see the resemblance now. I met him my first week here.” He figured the knowledge that her father knew him and liked him would be enough to calm her nerves.

It worked.

Kaeru turned to Choji who was happily eating his BBQ flavored chips.

“What about you?”

“Akimichi Choji,” he said his name around a mouthful of chips and appeared nonchalant but he’d always noticed growing up the fear hidden every time the taller boy had spoken to someone new in their youth.

Kaeru wished people were more educated on the clans in Konoha and how their techniques work.

“An Akimichi, huh,” The glint of fear grew but the redhead continued. “You should eat more proteins, then. You’ll build muscle faster.”

People rarely told Choji to eat _more_ of anything and he knew the simple recommendation would be enough to prove that he didn’t think any differently of the boy as a shinobi because of his weight. Choji had grown up to be a powerhouse in the original timeline and Kaeru had always admired his prowess with his clan techniques.

“Did you just tell him to eat _more_?!” Ino hadn’t been so open minded growing up. He almost forgot.

Kaeru barely blinked.

“The Akimichi Clan’s techniques wouldn’t work if their weight was too low. They would actually end up killing the user if they were your weight or my weight or Shikamaru-kun’s weight-- _anyone_ with average or lower-than-average weight.”

Ino blinked and looked at Choji with pale blue, apologetic eyes.

She was still too proud to apologize out loud, but that was okay. Progress was progress.

Kaeru blinked, as if just noticing that the team of four was on a training ground _not_ training. He turned back to Asuma.

“Uh… Are you guys supposed to be training or…?”

The taller man took a drag from that cigarette that hung from his lips.

“Well, as you can see they’re..” He trailed off and let his dark eyes shift from Kaeru’s form over to his team that was lazing in the grass of the training ground.

“You have two options then,” The redhead would rather have all the new genin teams ready just in case something _did_ go wrong and he would prefer not letting anyone get hurt. “You can bribe them until eventually something makes them get their asses in gear or you can get their asses in gear in a more controlled environment.”

Shikamaru hadn’t truly gotten serious until his laziness became a detriment to his teammates and his mission. No one died but the experience was enough to make them all see just how dangerous being a shinobi truly was and how the responsibility placed on you wasn’t one to take lightly. Choji had followed suit and Ino had changed sometime after Sasuke had defected (though he wasn’t planning on letting _that_ happen again).

Just talking to them wouldn’t be enough, he knew from experience that warnings were mostly disregarded because _they’re different_ and _it could never happen to them_. The only thing that could change them was experience. Asuma had bribed them the first time around and the revelation that being a shinobi wasn’t a lax job that had to be taken seriously had gotten people hurt. It would be better for everyone if they realized this in a controlled setting where no one would really get hurt.

Asuma was about to say something but in the blink of an eye paint bombs came flying in their direction and Kaeru was gone. The older man ended up covered in a lovely shade of blue paint and his team hadn’t fared much better. Shikamaru was decorated with a lovely shade of hot pink and Ino with a particularly bad mix of vibrant green and neon orange. Her screech could probably be heard from anywhere in Konoha and Kaeru felt bad for the animals with heightened senses. Choji didn’t seem to mind the splashes of yellow paint that stained his skin and clothes because it had managed to completely avoid the food he was eating. He simply wiped the paint from his mouth and eyes and continued as if nothing had happened.

“Troublesome…”

There was another loud screech and a ball of obnoxious orange jumpsuit and bright blond hair was suddenly scooped up in a net, handing from a tree just a few meters away.

Shikamaru snorted and Ino scoffed at the sight.

Kaeru returned not long after, barely holding in his laughter. They looked ridiculous and while he felt bad that more people were caught in the crossfire of this mini prank war, he couldn’t deny that the results were always amusing.

“So sorry about that,” There was a scream and a thud and two small explosions and the group of five turned to look at the source.

Naruto stumbled out of the bushes _covered_ in feathers and sap. He looked mortified for sure but Kaeru recognized the impressed look in his blue eyes. Behind that look was a fire that burned brightly, it seemed that regardless of having any ideas about their “relation” Naruto recognized a kindred spirit. Kaeru wished he’d had someone to prank with growing up besides _Kiba_ (he had a tendency of getting caught, the now-redhead was never so sloppy growing up). He waddled away wordlessly but the jounin knew he was plotting his revenge.

He turned back to the genin behind him.

“Asuma-san, if you ever need any help come find me, I’m pretty hard to miss. It was nice meeting you Shikamaru-kun, Ino-chan, Choji-kun. I hope I can see you again soon.”

He left not long after, the Nara’s dark eyes following him as he walked off. He planted the familiar image in the genius’s head, now he just needed the boy to say something.

Plus Naruto fell into another one of his traps.

Now to find (perhaps _find_ was the wrong word since he knew where he was) a certain silver haired jounin.

Running into the remaining portion of Team 7 along the way was the last thing he expected on the short walk into town.

They weren’t _together_ , per se, but they weren’t apart either and the sight of them killed something deep within the redhead.

He hadn’t glimpsed the Uchiha’s face since he _left them to die_. Since their first real kiss, their _last_ kiss. The Bijuu within him were quick to center him before his reaction turned physical. He knew it would happen, you can’t live in a village and completely avoid anyone. Even when he was young, though he hadn’t known his name, he’d seen Kakashi around the village.

He simply smiled at them and kept walking, Kakashi should _probably_ be aware that standing in close proximity to him for the next few days (Naruto would never wait longer than that, he didn’t have the patience) was hazardous unless he was prepared to dodge.

And he needed to find Gai still. He promised they’d train together.

* * *

Kaeru was… a _lot_ like Naruto and both were a lot like Kushina. It was probably an Uzumaki thing, he’d only ever known the three of them so it was a possibility. It was also possible that it was just those closely related to Kushina--she’d been related in some way to Uzumaki Mito and Kakashi had a hard time believing the Shodaime’s wife was anything like the Red Hot Blooded Habanero.

He hadn’t anticipated the redhead pranking his cousin back when this whole thing started, though, in hindsight, he found he shouldn’t be surprised. From the beginning Kaeru had carried _something_ Kakashi had difficulty recognizing, painfully familiar as it had been. A spark in his eye not unlike determination but also not completely the same. A glint he now knew was _mischief_. The same mischief both Kyuubi containers wore like a badge of honor.

Seeing the blond covered in something odorless and sticky underneath a layer of black feathers was _not_ what he expected from the older Uzumaki. The first trap had been a simple one, just a rope, not even baited. He guessed that his one was similar, in fact he’d bet that in Naruto’s attempt to cut himself down he either hadn’t noticed the secondary (the _true_ ) trap that was waiting for him.

Though Kakashi was in no way a prankster, this would’ve been where he accepted defeat. Kaeru was skilled in traps, of that he was sure, and despite the genuine skill Naruto showed in that area, his inexperience was no match for the older man. He used the word _inexperience_ lightly because while it was clear that compared to Kaeru he lacked experience, plenty of jounin and chunin had been caught in the blond’s traps before him. Apparently Kaeru was just great at everything.

The redhead was sure to disagree. He’d said before that he was only _okay_ at many thing he proved to be an expert in so Kakashi wasn’t sure what to expect from something he claimed to be bad at (he’d mentioned genjutsu once but somehow he didn’t believe he was anywhere near as bad as he claimed, though it was clear he didn’t use them often).

When the redhead approached him, he passed his two older students first, giving them both soft soft smiles that he gave all the children he saw but his eyes lingered on Sasuke. An expression of remembrance and pain flashed across his pale features before disappearing as though it were never there and Kakashi couldn’t help but wonder. He had to have met Itachi, he’d killed the man rumored to be the older Uchiha’s partner within the Akatsuki--he was the only member to have survived the encounter with the famed bounty hunter. He expected maybe regret, for not killing the murderer of the entire Uchiha clan or determination to take down the remaining members of the group. It made him wonder just what had happened during their encounter, why seeing Sasuke would provoke such a reaction.

None of it made sense, but then, neither did Kaeru. He seemed to know everything but still know little--like a faded memory, something he couldn’t quite remember.

It was weird just like everything else about the redhead.

Kakashi couldn’t say he _hated_ it though. Puzzles were always fun.

“Ah, Kaeru-san,” He greeted the man in his usual bored drawl. “Hokage-sama wants to talk to you first thing next monday, don’t forget.”

A puzzled look crossed his scarred features but he nodded.

“I just wanted to warn you that your blond brat is out for my blood because of the feathers,” he grinned widely, no doubt remembering how one of Naruto’s last pranks hit _him_ instead of the redhead. “Unless you’re prepared to dodge left and right it may not be a good idea to be too close… You don’t happen to know what he wants, do you, Kakashi-san?”

“Just Kakashi, please. The honorific is getting old.” It was almost as bad as being called _Hatake-san_ or _Hatake-sama_.

He didn’t answer the redhead’s question. He didn’t actually know the answer to begin with but he could already guess just how ridiculous it probably was.

“Then just Kaeru. I’ve never been one for honorifics either. As a kid people rarely used them and I was on a first name basis with the friends I had at the time.” He didn't seem to care much one way or the other but if it would get him to drop the _-san_ , he’d take it. “Oh, by the way, have you seen Gai-san? I was supposed to meet with him but I was so distracted with trying to lose your student it slipped my mind.”

The idea of _Gai_ being caught in the crossfire of this whole “war” was amusing enough to agree to accompany the redhead to find the spandex-clad jounin. The potential of seeing his long-time friend/”rival” looking even more ridiculous than usual was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Plus, if Kaeru was planning on interacting with Gai’s genin it gave him a better chance to observe the way he teaches. The Uzumaki was leaving a lot out of his back story, and while Kakashi could understand the grief, he was too curious to keep to himself.

He didn’t walk around pretending to read _Icha Icha_ for the hell of it, though reactions to the books alone were plenty funny and he _did_ enjoy the series. No one suspected the guy who looked bored, who was reading to care enough to listen to what was being spoken about.

It made good blackmail _and_ proved useful for information gathering.

He would figure out Uzumaki Kaeru. Of that he had no doubts.

* * *

Kaeru sneezed as they walked to one of the _many_ places Gai (and his team) could be. He rubbed his nose and fell deep in thought.

Who was talking about him?

He didn’t miss the three spies hiding under the “fake rock” as they searched for the _youthful_ shinobi and his genin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so tired. I'm sorry this chapter is short but I did a dumb thing and didn't sleep nearly as much as I should've so here you go! As you can see, next week Kaeru and Hiruzen talk, but will the "relation" between him and Naruto revealed? Who knows?
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Thanks for all your comments, kudos and thanks to everyone who's added this story to their bookmarks and subscriptions. The response to this story across platforms has been unbelievable these last few weeks and I'm so grateful for each and every one of you. You guys are absolutely amazing!
> 
> I'll see you guys next time with something better than more filler! I just really needed this particular meeting because I skipped it before! You read that right, there will be _plot_ next week! _And_ it will be a longer chapter than this one! (Which was more or less a failed attempt at fan-service for you guys because I'm tired and I'm trash. Hopefully you liked it at least a little though)
> 
> See you next Friday!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo
> 
> EDIT 6/13/20: Thank you guys so much for 10k hits on this story! It hit the milestone last night and in my excitement I completely forgot to say something to people outside of those I live with 😂 You guys are absolutely amazing and I'm eternally grateful for every single read and reread on this story and all my other stories. As I'm writing this, I'm actually about 350 hits away from 11k and it's so hard to believe sometimes that so many people like something I've created. Sincerely, thank you for this! I love all of you so much!


	9. Spar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kaeru finally spars and both he and Naruto are scheming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kinda cute and kinda weird. It didn't go how I originally planned it but I like it because obviously Kaeru has to be everything Naruto isn't. As in, almost everyone takes an instant liking to him after they meet and end up with some kind of a crush on him (particularly the kids because it's cute when kids get crushes on adults). How did we end up here? Who knows? Not me!
> 
> My sister was being particularly distracting while I was writing so I apologize if things don't make sense in some places or if there are weird continuity errors (just let me know and I'll fix them).
> 
> Side note for those who care: I got a pocket knife a few days ago and (being the idiot that I am) wasn't paying attention and sliced my finger, which bled a lot. Then I reopened the cut yesterday. So now I'm writing with a plaster that doesn't let me bend my finger. Moral of the story: either don't play with knives or pay attention to what you're doing if you do 😂

**Chapter Eight: Spar**

* * *

It had been over a decade since he’d seen Konohamaru’s face, and while he’d been able to move past his death (and the deaths of Moegi and Udon) in that time, he’d had significantly less time to adjust to him being _not_ dead. He’d felt his chakra multiple times since entering Konoha, small and uncontrolled, but the first sign of life from him had taken weeks to _see_ and he hadn’t been expecting it.

The distinct chakra of Konohamaru and his teammates (or future teammates) was not-so-well hidden beneath a fake rock. A very _square_ fake rock (how many times did he have to tell that kid that rocks didn’t look that way the first time?).

It sent him back to the days where he’d been twelve and barely able to beat anyone other than civilian kids in a fight. When he’d met with the Third over his registration photo and the little twerp barged in and accused him of setting a trap for him (he should’ve). Kaeru remembered beating Ebisu with his Sexy Jutsu and being declared his rival… Despite saying so, Konohamaru still looked up to him as a pseudo teacher and a role model. It had been the closest thing he’d ever had to a younger sibling, even before he decided to teach the kid Rasengan.

If his counterpart had recruited them to spy on him, then it was likely he couldn’t find anyone else to help him (most likely, since people had hated him back then). If Naruto _didn’t_ , it meant they caught wind of what was going on and decided to interfere or they were onto him (kids always seemed to figure things like that out faster than adults so it was a possibility).

Kaeru didn’t let them know he knew they were there and allowed them to follow. Kakashi either didn’t notice them or didn’t care since they were _obviously_ still academy students. The silver haired jounin continued walking beside Kaeru, visible eye glued to his book. The redheaded jounin was just curious about what they would do (and whether Gai’s team would notice).

Being unused to Gai and his team’s schedule pre-Pain, it was hard to determine exactly what they would be doing or where they would be--of course, he could sense them if he wanted to, but that required eliminating _many_ other chakra signatures. Luckily, he didn’t need to since they were at a training ground not far from the bridge where Team 7 met (Gai’s voice carried and made it _very_ easy to find them). The Sandaime’s grandson and his friends followed, staying behind a tree as they watched from a distance.

Lee and Gai, ever in sync, seemed to notice Kaeru and Kakashi immediately.

“Kaeru-san! Kakashi-san!”

“Eternal Rival! Kaeru-san!”

The pale redhead couldn’t help the quirk of his lips when he saw Neji droop slightly, embarrassed. It served as a reminder that the Neji, the Neji Kaeru had known, was always in there, or maybe he’d taken Kaeru’s words to heart during their last meeting (he doubted it). Tenten looked excited then nervous--she never had come to him about the prospect of a spar so it could be that she was nervous to ask.

“Lee-kun, Gai-san,” Kaeru smiled at them then turned to the duo behind them. “Tenten-chan, Neji-kun.”

The teens nodded in recognition and Tenten walked up to him looking oddly reminiscent of Hinata before she’d gotten over her crush on him. Her cheeks were pink and she poked her fingers together as she stuttered.

“U-uh… Kaeru-san? When you s-suggested we spar… d-did you mean it?”

He did, of course there was no way in _Hell_ he’d _ever_ go anywhere close to all out, but the prospect of having a spar with her--even though she didn’t really know him at all--was entertaining. Tenten was a badass in his time and he’d make sure she was even better this time around, he’d do the same with all of them because they deserved it (if only to make up for all they did for him, in this life or another).

“I did. Did you want to?” Of course, the answer to that was obvious but it was a chance for her to back out if she decided she wasn’t ready.

“Can we?” She was so young and shy, it wasn’t something he’d ever been able to see when they were growing up. She was older than him and was careful to remain composed, not to expose vulnerabilities. Maybe it was because he was an adult, or maybe he was just experienced in reading people now in a way he hadn’t been before (probably both). Either way, it was new.

“Of course! And if Neji-kun or Lee-kun would like to spar afterward as well, they’re welcome to.”

Kaeru’s strength, especially compared to the last time he’d been able to spar with _any_ of them, had easily tripled. It’d been nine years since there was any real opportunity and they were _thirteen_ but any chance to help them improve was necessary. They wouldn’t be fighting in the same war he had, the same war that would kill them all, but there were plenty of other threats out there and despite rumors, there were many stronger shinobi out there than him.

Lee’s dark eyes were sparkling and Neji managed to look _just_ disinterested enough to show Kaeru that he _was_ interested. The redhead looked forward to it.

“How do you want to do this? Just weapons? Weapons and Jutsu? Just Kenjutsu?” There were a _lot_ of ways this spar could go and Kaeru was determined to leave all of the details to her.

No matter what, it gave him a chance to show off in front of Konohamaru and company. Sunday was fast approaching and after hearing from Kakashi that Monday would be the day he would be officially meeting Naruto, he could cause chaos the only way he knew how. Having a few double agents (who were likely to betray him) would only add to the effect. It would probably be the most fun he’d had in the village since arriving.

“Um… What about a little bit of everything?” He’d been expecting her to pick something specific but perhaps having no restrictions was for the best. He’d get to see the extent of her abilities at this point and he’d know where to push. He could only hope that helping Tenten would be as easy as helping Team 8 with their Kunai training.

“That works,” Kaeru walked over to an empty section of the training ground, far enough away from Neji and the others. “Let’s do this away from your team, yeah?”

Kakashi watched him closely, he could feel the older man’s gaze even when he had his back to him. Kaeru wondered if it was because Kakashi was suspicious and concerned or if there was another reason.

“Tenten-chan, do you have a sword?” Of course, she didn’t need one for him to use his but it’d be interesting.

“No, I had been focusing so much on trying to learn medical Ninjutsu I never learned how to use one.” Kaeru doubted she’d lack the knowledge for much longer.

The redhead nodded. He hadn’t learned until Sasuke taught him, years deep into a war that destroyed everyone.

“Whenever you’re ready then.” Six pairs of eyes and a lone one watched them with rapt attention.

* * *

When he’d offered, Kakashi didn’t actually believe Kaeru would spar with Gai’s genin. Despite having said he didn’t go back on his word, it was hard for the Konoha-bred jounin to believe any jounin (outside of a teacher) would voluntarily _spar_ with a genin. Especially when they carry as much strength as Kaeru seemed to.

Despite this, he couldn’t deny that he was looking forward to seeing even a _touch_ of the man’s abilities. He was also ready to jump in, in the event something happens.

Gai’s genin started, unsealing a manriki-gusari and spinning it expertly. Kaeru seemed to consider her for a moment.

From what Kakashi knew, what little he remembered from Gai’s ramblings, Tenten was excellent with weapons and it showed. Her lack of confidence vanished as soon as the metal chain of the manriki touched her fingers. It was clear she knew what she was doing, not only in the way she carried herself, but in the way she carried and moved the weapon itself. Her grip showed familiarity. She wasn’t thinking about the weapon’s movement, she knew and understood it down to her muscles. It was impressive, especially for someone her age.

If the genin seemed confident then Kaeru was something beyond that. He unsealed his sword from his wrist and with it in his gloved hands, exuded power. The blade was an extension of himself, a part of him in a way that most weapons masters _dreamed_ of.

Many times, Tenten attempted to disarm Kaeru of his sword and all attempts failed, the blade and handle holding strong against particularly rough hits from various weapons she’d managed to pull. When she sent a barrage of kunai his way, Kaeru blocked them each with ease. His every move was practiced and fluid as if he were dancing. It was a rare thing, to see a shinobi so skilled in any area that it seemed effortless. Rarer still when they had the stamina to match and Kaeru’s stamina went beyond that.

The first part of the spar, even when he hadn’t been able to hear all the rules they set, was easy. Simply Tenten trying to land a hit on Kaeru. Even the attempts that came close seemed to be completely under Kaeru’s control, as if he knew exactly how to push every one of his opponents buttons. The closer a hit would come without landing, the more frustrated she got and the rougher the throws and swipes became. One hit, even two or three would come uncomfortably close only for the dodges and blocks from the redhead to become exaggerated, as if to prove that he was in complete control of what got too close and what didn’t.

It was an excellent strategy and Kaeru did it well, from behind Tenten Kakashi could easily see the reddening of her ears and neck. Her frustration was nearly potent and the more he frustrated her the wider he’d smile.

After a time of that they paused, Tenten saying something Kakshi couldn’t hear over the squealing and cheering coming from Gai and his mini-me and Kaeru responded before his sword lit up, crackling with lightning. He rubbed his neck as if embarrassed before falling back into his confident stance.

Kakashi wasn’t familiar with the style, likely something taught within the Uzumaki Clan in Uzushio before its fall, but it was obvious that none of the attacks were meant to touch the genin. His control with the weapon was unbelievable and even though his attacks missed he left no true openings. If Tenten wanted to land even the weakest hit, she’d need to create one and Kaeru was completely focused.

Tenten was panting, her movements became slower and more sluggish and across from her Kaeru looked as though they’d barely started. His hair was slightly messy, windblown from the speed of his movements but otherwise it was impossible to tell he’d ever sparred with anyone.

As far as Kakashi could tell, it ended in a draw--though he didn’t know the specifics--and when they came back, both were grinning widely and giggling like idiots.

That _look_ was back and Kakashi still had no clue what it was.

He smiled softly at the brunette.

“Did you learn anything?” He sounded as though he knew the answer.

Even tired, Tenten was enthusiastic. High on adrenaline and full of energy despite the pounding of her heart and pain in her lungs.

She nodded,her smile never leaving her face. It was a major change from the clear frustration she’d been experiencing before they ended their spar.

When Kaeru asked who was next, Kakashi was tempted to volunteer. No sensible jounin could ever go all out on a genin, especially in a spar, but against another jounin… Kakashi wanted to see the strength that took down five S-Rank Nukenin, wanted to catalogue it with his sharingan. He had no idea why he was so invested in someone he’d only known for a _month_ when there were plenty of strong shinobi in the village who he’d known most of his life that he still barely trusted.

No one was surprised when Lee shot up, hand raised high as if he were still in the academy, and volunteered to go next.

It _was_ surprising when the ever-stoic Hyuuga (who reminded Kakashi a _bit_ too much of his avenger of a student) looked disappointed at that.

If Gai’s mini-me really was his protege in every way, Lee could open at least some of the gates and was on his way to becoming a master in Taijutsu. The one-eyed jounin wondered just how much of Kaeru’s skillset he’d get to see.

* * *

Kaeru would never understand why so many people had avoided Lee until the Rookie 9 came along. It might’ve been because he hadn’t seen the struggles the spandex-clad boy went through prior to meeting him. The Lee he’d met, both in this time and the other, was an experienced genin and had been training under Gai. His first real viewing of his skillset had been during his battle with Gaara and Kaeru could easily remember the shock he’d felt when he saw the weights come off. He’d never left any doubt that he was the Taijutsu beast he’d claimed to be. It was something Kaeru always admired him for, despite his jealousy over the fact that he was so focused on fighting _Sasuke_.

He also remembered how happy he was when he was _finally_ able to get closer to Sakura. He wondered if there would’ve been a chance for them if war hadn’t pushed them together. He’d wondered the same about himself and Sasuke for a while, what would’ve happened if he hadn’t fled. They’d even talked about it once, before _that night_. He mentioned feeling threatened by the prospect of weakness that came with _feelings_ and when he started _feeling_ for him, he needed to move. A large part, of course, was the cursed seal but Sasuke had always planned to find strength anywhere he could. Now Kaeru hoped that that person could be _him_ until he managed to get the truth of the situation to Sasuke without it being suspicious.

Lee and Sakura were never officially together before they were separated by death, much like Sasuke and himself, but the situation had pulled them together. He wondered if this Sakura, who’d never have to deal with Sasuke leaving, would find her way to him. He wondered if either would find their way to other people.

Lee, before even meeting Sakura, was passionate. He didn’t need a girl or a revenge plot or a boy or _anything_ like that to motivate him. Even now, Lee was determined just by watching Tenten spar with him, by the cheering of his teacher. It was one of the few things he’d never had in common with the then-older boy. He didn’t need to be acknowledged by the village, he just needed encouragement from his mentor and it was something he was jealous of for a long time before he realized that Lee had once been in a similar position and simply went a different path.

None of this changed the fact that the one thing Kaeru had wished they didn’t have in common they _did_ share. Scorn was unfortunate but both had risen despite that and the redhead was determined to make sure this Lee burned even more brightly than his own.

“Taijutsu only, right?”

Lee only looked slightly embarrassed at the question but nodded firmly and got into position.

Kaeru knew he’d have to attack first. A decent Taijutsu user, against any new opponent, would want to observe first before looking for opportunities to attack. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, for them, most of them never fought against Kaeru. He never used any defined style, with the exception of the Frog Kata, and instead combined things he’d seen with things he created that _worked_ and everything he learned over time. He couldn’t use anything here that would be reminiscent of anyone’s style (which, unfortunately, was almost everything), since it would raise suspicion--with the exception of Hyuuga techniques and some Uchiha techniques since he’d already admitted to meeting members of both clans.

He started simple. Using basic Uzumaki style techniques he’d learned from _several_ scrolls he’d found to kick off the spar, literally.

The Lee who’d died in front of him had significantly more speed--obviously--but his techniques stayed mostly the same. He used the same patterns, despite the larger arsenal of techniques, and blocked in a lot of the same ways (though the Lee from the future was also better at preventing openings to begin with).

It started slow, Kaeru sending hit after hit to the openings in Lee’s stance and allowing the boy the chance to block. When Lee became confident in his knowledge of Kaeru’s style, he went on the offensive. Exactly according to his plan, Lee’s attacks lined up according to the pattern he’d created. It was something Kaeru had gotten good at _planning_ instead of just working on the fly, Changing styles, attack and defence patterns, things that he once did subconsciously became part of a defined strategy (and it was something _he_ came up with, not something that was recommended by someone else--one of the first steps he’d taken in becoming an adult).

The drastic and fluid change in technique threw Lee for a loop and he fell back into defense.

Kaeru wondered how long it would take for Gai to give Lee the okay to drop the weights. _If_ he would let Lee drop the weights. Kaeru was vaguely aware of the rules Gai had set regarding the weights and use of the Eight Gates.

Evidently, an opponent of Kaeru’s caliber, even in a spar, was enough to drop the weights and the redhead didn’t have to wait long for it. After leading Lee into bouts of frustration from his spastic changes in technique Gai gave the call.

The weights dropped leaving large, deep craters where they hit the ground. Kaeru could just barely see Kakashi’s lone eye widen at the sight.

Kaeru grinned.

Without the weights Lee was definitely fast, but there were few people who could keep up with the redhead without help and that was without the techniques of the Nidaime and Yondaime. He matched him toe to toe and even at Lee’s genin speed he was sure they just looked like complimentary colored blurs.

“You can’t rely solely on predicting your enemy’s movements, you have to be able to surprise them, create openings that wouldn’t otherwise be there. You can’t predict me but I can predict you. Don’t let me.”

Something like realization, an epiphany, sparked in Lee’s eyes and he _did_ change his movements. It wasn’t anything major, but his dominant attacking side began alternating sporadically. The change wasn’t enough to allow him to land a hit but it was better considering he only knew Gai’s fighting style. Kaeru was experienced enough, both as a man over a decade older and having known Lee and his fighting style already, to completely avoid any attempts but he still considered the spar Lee’s win.

With practice (and a few more fighting styles), Lee could easily give Kaeru a good fight, and beat most other shinobi. He didn’t mean it as the bragging it seemed to be, but Kaeru was aware enough of his strength that something like that no longer mattered. In this life he didn’t need acknowledgement from the village, he needed to save it.

When they concluded their spar, Lee’s skin, or what was visible of it, was glistening with a thin layer of sweat and his breathing was heavy. Lee was known for his high stamina but forcing his body to go against what was muscle memory took more energy than he was probably used to spending on a spar. His eyes were downcast and his shoulders were drooping slightly, much like Tenten had been doing after their spar earlier.

“You did well, Lee-kun,” He meant it too. Lee had far exceeded his expectations for their spar. He was exceptionally talented in Taijutsu and with the opportunity to properly experience adulthood, Kaeru had no doubt he’d be even better.

“I couldn’t hit you though.”

The redhead’s grin softened.

“Not many can, but with your current level I’d say you could easily take down genin and even chunin,” Lee’s frown turned up into a smile at the praise and Kaeru continued. “You said you work hard. Right, Lee-kun? Learning more styles and incorporating them into your own style is hard work. Are you up for it?”

Like flipping a switch, Lee lit up.

“Yosh! I will work hard and one day I’ll land a hit on you, Kaeru-san!” Lee’s loud voice rang in the redhead’s sensitive ears but he didn’t flinch.

He gave Lee his most genuine smile.

“I look forward to it.”

**~()~**

When they returned to the group, the last thing he’d expected was for Neji to also ask to spar.

He’d noticed the disappointment when Lee had volunteered but he never actually thought the pale eyed boy would do it. He wondered what his motivations were, if it was about learning something and getting stronger from it or simply testing his strength. He was insane if he actually thought Kaeru would go all out on a member of Konoha, let alone a genin. Few people survived such an experience and those who did usually ended up switching sides.

He didn’t let his surprise show and simply walked over to a clear area of the training ground they’d been using. With singed grass and trees, craters and holes with the odd shuriken that had been missed here and there, the training ground was looking a little worse for wear but nothing compared to the damage he was capable of causing. He hadn’t even really used any of his Ninjutsu arsenal (with the exception of channeling elemental chakra into his sword with Tenten).

He was curious about what the Hyuuga could learn from a spar with him.

Neji was confident, understood his abilities well for someone his age even if he _was_ obsessed with fate and looked down on those weaker than him.

Kaeru wasn’t weaker than him. The pale eyed teen respected him and his strength, certainly, but that didn’t mean he’d cling to his every word. Even if he did, he still intended to leave Neji's personal realizations to Naruto. Neji had been one of the best friends he’d ever had, even if it was only for a short time, and he wasn’t going to rob his counterpart of that bond.

“I’ll tell you what, we’re going to do this a little differently. If you can hit even a _single_ one of my tenketsu points then you win. I’ll give you twenty minutes.” It was slightly less time than either of his teammates had to spar with him but Neji was also known as a genius. He’d never learn anything if he wasn’t posed a near-impossible challenge every once and awhile. Kaeru had faced _several_ of them.

Of course, Neji wouldn’t be able to land a single hit on him, but that wasn’t really the point. This wasn’t a lesson like the ones he’d taught Lee or Tenten. It wasn’t to get him to do what he was truly passionate about, even if it wasn’t what people wanted nor was it to improve his strength, not yet. It was selfish, perhaps, but Kaeru really just wanted an opportunity to get to know the Hyuuga again. Neji needed to learn to let people in, and while he could never properly do that without being woken up by losing to someone significantly weaker, it was much easier for him to let people in who were adults (and not his uncle).

He’d only become aware of the way he’d been slowly worming his way back into the lives of his friends recently. It was probably not healthy but it didn’t matter. There wasn’t much about being a shinobi that could be considered healthy in any capacity, anyway.

Neji readied himself, taking time to properly size Kaeru up (not that he was much taller than the Hyuuga to begin with) before activating his Byakugan and getting into position.

Briefly, Kaeru wondered if he could see the Bijuu chakra that flowed in tandem with his own before dismissing it. He’d used Kurama’s chakra right in front of him and he hadn’t figured out what it was until after being told about his situation involving the Akatsuki.

Neji attacked first and Kaeru easily danced around his carefully aimed blows, occasionally hitting one of his openings. The pale eyed boy truly was a genius and with each opening Kaeru drew attention to, the less there were as he made sure not to make the same mistakes twice. It was fascinating, especially since Neji was so young ( _Gods,_ they were all so young).

After 15 minutes of what was mostly dodging with the occasional tap to show his openings, Kaeru finally got serious. He wasn’t rough and his attacks weren’t even close to being deadly but he switched from being on the defensive to the offensive just as easily, just as fluidly as he did Taijutsu styles and Neji was unprepared for the onslaught of bruises he’d receive from the blows.

The message was simple, and he could see it spark behind Neji’s lavender eyes. His Byakugan was pointless against an opponent who was experienced with it, and he’d have to find a way around it. In the other timeline, Kaeru had won several fights against people significantly stronger by simply doing what they least expected. A more skilled opponent with knowledge of the Hyuuga clan would expect (and likely have a countermeasure for) the Byakugan and in order to win, he’d need to be creative. He couldn’t stick strictly to a single style.

When their spar was over, Neji seemed lighter. Kaeru didn’t try to cheer up his disappointed face or ask him what he learned.

There was no need.

He _did_ , however, place a gloved hand on the boy’s head and smiled down at him before walking back toward Kakashi and Gai.

He didn’t notice the small tinge of pink on Neji’s cheeks as he walked away.

By the time he finally was able to sit down and chat with Gai, his three mini spies were gone. He wondered what they would tell their boss in their report.

* * *

“Hey boss!”

A wide grin stretched across Naruto’s face as the voices of his minions hit his ears. The three of them had practically jumped at the opportunity to be his spies and take on the mission for him. All they had to do was dig up anything they could on him for the next few days, then he could bring his genius plan to fruition.

“What did you find out?”

Konohamaru pulled out a notebook filled with chicken scratch that was even worse than Naruto’s.

“His name is Kaeru, no one mentioned a surname.”

“But he hinted that he was from a clan.”

“And he mumbled a few times about his village falling.”

Naruto nodded. It made some sense. The man wasn’t from the village, that much he was certain (and now it was confirmed).

“He kinda looks like you, boss!” Of all things he’d been expecting, _that_ wasn’t one of them.

“What do you mean? We don’t look anything alike! He’s pale and has red hair! My eyes are light blue and his are almost purple! He’s practically my polar opposite!” He didn’t know why he was so defensive over it, it wasn’t unlikely that someone could look like him--he didn’t see how that someone could possibly be his opposite at the same time though.

“He’s… I don’t know,” Konohamaru shrugged and bothe Moegi and Udon were in deep thought. They clearly agreed with the assessment, though. “He has your face, almost, but in different colors and thinner. It’s kinda hard to explain. He doesn’t have whiskers either and he’s scarred but you _do_ look alike.”

“He does the same thing you do when you’re embarrassed too! Where he rubs the back of his neck!” The brats were more observant than he expected but there was no way what they were implying was true.

If he had family, even family that had been out of the village, surely they’d know about him, right? There was no way they _couldn’t_ have, right?

It didn’t matter though, because it wasn’t true. Even if they had similar faces, Naruto didn’t share any other features with him. His hair was spiky and blond while _Kaeru’s_ was long and smooth and red. His skin was naturally tan and Kaeru’s was almost as pale as Sasuke’s. His eyes matched the color of the sky at noon and Kaeru’s looked like the sky at night (maybe slightly lighter? Maybe more purple? It was an odd color). He had marks that looked like whiskers (probably because of the _Kyuubi_ ) and the redhead’s pale face was devoid of any marks besides scars.

That was another thing.

Naruto didn’t scar. He’d assumed it was a bloodline, no matter how injured he got it always healed in record time and never left any evidence it was even there. Cuts, even deep ones, were healed in under a minute and broken bones in hours. He’d only realized it wasn’t normal when he started at the academy and some students would wear casts and bandages for more than a day. Now he knew it was likely the Kyuubi again, but holding out the hope that it _was_ a bloodline helped him cope.

Konohamaru and his team’s rising voices shook him from his rabbit trailing.

“He’s also _really_ strong!”

“Yeah, he fought _three_ people and wasn’t even tired!”

“He was going easy on them too. It was obvious he was holding back!”

 _That_ caught his attention. His brief meetings with the redhead (and his observing from a distance) proved that he wasn’t tall (especially when he was around the white haired guy) and he appeared quite thin. He didn’t _look_ very strong nor did he look that much older than _him_ , let alone Kakashi-sensei’s age.

“He barely fought back at all and none of them could land a hit! He had a sword and everything, it was _awesome_! Naruto-nii, are you gonna be like that when you’re a jounin?”

Naruto was positive he could be _better_. During their test, when he became a genin officially with Sakura and Sasuke-teme, Sasuke had managed to touch one of the bells, but Naruto had been able to take him by surprise. He’d been able to pressure him into using Kawarimi with his clone to get away and he’d almost had him. There was no way he couldn’t be better than the new guy who was taking up all of his new teacher’s time. How was he supposed to be Hokage, if he wasn’t the strongest in the village?

“Of course! I’ll be even better!” He meant it.

In the meantime, he had to plan the greatest prank in existence and have everything ready by Sunday. He’d originally planned for Monday, so he had more time to prepare but Kakashi-sensei had dropped by saying that Hokage-jiji wanted to see him for something then.

 _Kaeru_ wouldn’t know what hit him!

* * *

Kaeru sneezed once, twice, three times and Team 9 and Kakashi were staring at him funny. He assumed it was because he was sneezing until he heard the distinct sound of _giggling_ and Kakashi glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

“You have the most un-masculine sneeze I’ve ever heard.”

Kaeru laughed. Masculine and feminine wasn’t important to him. It had been when he was young, he’d been just like every other boy and worried about his “masculine pride” but none of that mattered when your life and everyone else’s were on the line.

“It sounded like a kitten sneeze, Kaeru-san!” Tenten giggled and sent the others into another bout of laughter, while Neji quirked the smallest of smiles with pink cheeks.

Kaeru was content to let them believe his masculinity was threatened. There was no way for them to know that he’d transformed into a woman on several occasions.

Afterall, there was no way for them to know that the _reason_ for his quiet, squeaky sneezes was so that he didn’t alert their enemies to his and his comrades’ whereabouts while stuck in a seemingly endless war.

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t get them back for it though.

He’d been the reigning king of pranks since he was _five_ and was currently in a prank war against _himself_. These guys, even the two jounin, didn’t stand a chance.

That could wait until after Sunday though.

For now he’d let them laugh, memorise the sight of their genuinely happy faces and savor the moment.

Lulling them into a false sense of security would be easy, especially since they didn’t know Kaeru knew where they lived. Then when they woke up with dyed hair, or came home to their houses rearranged or furniture glued to the ceiling they’d never suspect it was because of _this_. He could be even _more_ petty and switch their salt and sugar if he really wanted to, up the number of small annoyances until he was satisfied...

They may not even suspect him at all if he waited until they all knew Naruto.

The idea of being somewhere where he _could_ play pranks and enjoy himself and not have to worry about saving the world (even if it only lasted a little while) had been a dream for them, when they were fighting Kaguya. The idea of giving them that again, or rather, allowing them to keep that kind of carefree attitude was what kept him going. Being able to experience those things for himself was even better.

He was slowly creating a family, not to replace those he’d had before, but to place alongside them. They didn’t need to be the same as the ones he’d failed as long as they were _alive_ and _happy_.

For some of them, he only needed to keep things that way. For others, like Neji and Sasuke, he needed to give them the tools (or people) and allow them to figure things out themselves. For himself… He needed to be family.

For the first time since he arrived, surrounded by the smiling faces of some of the people he loved more than anything, Kaeru wasn’t worried about the future. He wasn’t worried about Obito or Kaguya, or if he would ever see the versions of his friends he’d left behind again in the afterlife.

For the first time since jumping back in time, or to another timeline or _wherever_ he was, he was content just living in the moment and _not thinking_.

As long as he had them, any version of them, he could defeat the threat Obito posed, that Orochimaru posed. For once, he had no doubts.

It was freeing, even though it would only last a little while.

It just meant he’d have to keep creating moments like those.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys like how I skirted around writing the fight scenes because I'm really bad at making them up and procrastinated so I didn't have time to google any? I thought it was pretty great. Hopefully I explained enough to give you guys a sense of what happened because frankly, even I only have a vague idea.
> 
> Also, with so many distractions I was worried about how long it would take to write it, since I pumped it out in a single night because I procrastinated. Games are really distracting, especially puzzle games and escape games. I've been playing Sudoku religiously all week, it's kinda insane, I'm such an old lady 😂
> 
> Thanks for all your comments/kudos/bookmarks, you guys are amazing and every notification makes me day better and it motivates me to keep going. I'm really enjoying this story (and torturing you guys with the slow burn) and I'm so glad you guys are too!
> 
> Next Week: The Prank to End All Pranks... Right? Probably. Maybe. Who really knows?
> 
> See you guys next Friday!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo


	10. Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a two page long talk about Bijuu and a mini art segment, there's pranks, there's revelations.
> 
> It's terribly dramatic.
> 
> It's the chapter you've been waiting for... most of you. Some of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter gave me a _really_ hard time. I don't know why, maybe the pressure of making sure it lived up to all of your expectations (and there are a lot of you, especially since this is cross-posted in 3 locations).
> 
> I was stuck on the first thousand words for almost 3 hours. I got up to get food three separate times while writing this. It's just been a mess. I think the chapter is okay, but I'm sorry if it's not what you expected from the hype 😂
> 
> On the bright side, we have the moment you've waited nine weeks (I can't believe it's been that long guys) for and more friends!

**Chapter Nine: Realizations**

* * *

With Sunday only two days off (as in, Friday), Kaeru was training. Specifically, he was running through katas. It wasn’t ideal but a mission could potentially take too long and push back the meeting (not to mention the redhead’s counter attack) and there wasn’t much else he _could_ do. Years of war and being on the run made it impossible to relax, especially when the threat was still present. It wasn’t like he had many friends to hang out with--not the ones he wanted to, anyway. It was odd, being in the village as the people he loved most but unable to interact with them--show them how much he cared and how grateful he was for the beating in their chests, It was something he’d never fully get used to, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to. Kurenai had asked him to help her out with Kiba, Hinata and Shino, he saw Gai and his team regularly, he’d made first contact with Team 10 and in a few days he’d be acquainted with his counterpart (and Sasuke and Sakura soon after). Kakashi was there, Jiraiya was there, he had Gaara and B and all the Jinchuuriki he’d never gotten to properly meet before their deaths.

It didn’t matter if they _knew_ him or not. He didn’t need to be Naruto to gain respect or love and perhaps it would be different, _was_ different. As long as they were there and alive and the Akatsu was _lightyears_ behind where they needed to be (because they barely existed anymore).

Itachi was deep undercover and still planning his suicide. The only thing he’d ever have to atone for, in Kaeru’s book, is making his precious younger brother believe that _he_ was the bad guy and putting the idea of vengeance in his head. He couldn’t imagine the pain Sasuke must have felt after killing his brother only to find out that everything he’d ever believed about him, the village and his clan was a lie. It made sense why he’d been so destructive in the early stages of the war and it was a burden Kaeru never wanted _this_ Sasuke to deal with. If he could clear his name, even if Sasuke never forgives him, he would at least know the truth and could make that choice on his own. Kaeru would make sure he succeeded in giving the Uchiha boys the future they deserved the first time around.

Obito, or Tobi (he mostly referred to him as Tobi in his head to prevent any _slips_ ), as he currently was going by, was otherwise alone. Nagato and Konan were in hiding, the others (excluding Itachi) were dead and Kaeru knew he was _pissed_. It made him an even more dangerous opponent and made it even less likely he’d be able to save him (he’d still try).

His katas got rougher, more intense, as he remembered the damage the masked Uchiha had been able to do before Kaeru and his will managed to convince him otherwise.

The only other threats he could think of that weren’t a direct result of the Akatsuki (that was _urgent_ or _world ending_ ) was Orochimaru. If he could help it, preferably before the third section of the Chunin Exams. He’d managed to get through to Gaara (and baby Gaara was _precious_ ) but that didn’t mean Rasa would listen to him over Oto. He had no way of knowing if there was an impending invasion, the next time he saw Gaara wouldn’t be until he was in Konoha for the Exams and he’d yet to tell them just where he settled. Regardless, Orochimaru would be dealt with before he killed the Sandaime, before he bit Sasuke, and before he managed to cause so many more deaths.

The grass beneath him _disintegrated_ under the force and speed of his movements, leaving patches of dirt where it used to grow.

He took a breath and slowed his movements to nothing, fire burning behind his violet blue eyes.

Until the potential impending doom of the village (he had plenty of time, still a couple months before it even _began_ ), he had planning to do for the ultimate payback. Even if it was against himself. _Technically_.

He also had an advantage in that he knew himself. Naruto learned best by _doing_ , by experiencing. He’d use Kaeru’s techniques (which were really his own… it got confusing and Kaeru wasn’t going that deep) against him, trying to lure him into a trap meant to humiliate and or capture him. If he were anyone else, it would probably work. Unfortunately for Naruto, the redheaded version of himself had over a decade’s worth of experience both as a shinobi and as a prankster. He also knew the blond would be overly skeptical of _everything_. If the slightest thing was out of place, he would assume it was a trap. It left a few options.

The first was to spend the next few days leaving _not-traps_ in his path until he felt comfortable, then get him while his guard was down. He could also trap something that was perfectly _in_ place. Fuuinjutsu was a gift Kaeru wished he had at age twelve and a gift he’ll have Naruto _begging_ him for by the time he was done (and if not after the prank, then after they “get to know” each other).

He was leaving the training ground when he saw a familiar mop of dark hair and pale skin sitting beneath a tree not far away. He felt the chakra presence during his training but hadn’t been paying much attention to who it belonged to, distracted by his thoughts on the word’s possible destruction. Now that he was looking, though, the person’s identity was clear.

_Sai._

He was drawing under a tree and for a brief moment, Kaeru was confused about how and why he was even there before remembering Danzo was long gone. His thoughts switched to whether he’d managed to save them before Sai’s surrogate brother died.

Kaeru made a split second decision and approached him.

Being an experienced Root member, the boy noticed his approaching chakra immediately but gave few signs of it. He didn’t look up from his drawing but Kaeru could tell he was alert and ready to defend himself, likely remnants from his days in the organization. Kaeru looked at him with a smile.

“Whatcha drawing?” His tone was casual, conversational, no different from the tone he found himself using with all the mini versions of his old friends and comrades.

He didn’t know if Sai picked up on the warmth in his voice but he saw young Sai relax some. Sai had been part of Root until he was seventeen-nearly-eighteen in the original timeline and before that, when they first met, he was only a few months younger. Back then, the paler boy had been a year older than him and he’d never seen him any younger.

Seeing _thirteen_ year old Sai was strange. His face was rounder, abs less defined but no less visible in his signature outfit, and he actually looked like he had some emotions. Not many, those had been forced out of him _years_ before, but he seemed to be adjusting well. Kaeru was glad he’d have the chance to spend the rest of his childhood normal, or as normal as someone in his position could, at least.

Sai didn’t answer his question right away but he paused his drawing. His face didn’t change much from his usual blank expression but there was something Kaeru was tempted to call embarrassment. The kind of look a kid would make if they got caught doing something they thought they shouldn’t be.

“You don’t have to show me or tell me if you don’t want to,” He was extremely curious now but he refused to act on it if Sai didn’t want him to see. Few things were able to do _that_ to Sai’s face. “I’m Kaeru.”

He still didn’t give a last name. He didn’t know if Sai was friends with any of the Rookie 9 and telling him to keep quiet about it, especially when he still had shadows tailing him whenever he was alone, was a bad idea. He could always chalk it up to the old _the Uzumaki were being hunted and I’m not in the habit of announcing my heritage_ excuse. It was a blatant lie considering how he used to go around announcing his name to anyone who’d listen and those who wouldn’t, but he couldn’t go around saying that he knew about Naruto. Not yet.

He knew Sai wouldn’t care about the lack of a surname, though. The ravenette himself only had a first name that had been given as part of a mission. He wondered what his name was now, if not Sai.

“I’m Sai,” Apparently it was still Sai. Kaeru didn’t question it.

The redhead could tell the pale boy was trying hard to be polite and personable and to someone _not_ painfully familiar with faking emotions it might’ve worked. Kaeru was used to smiling when it was the last thing he wanted to do, laughing in place of crying. It was easy because most people never cared to look or to understand. It was different for Sai, who was trying to re-learn his emotions, but that didn’t mean he should force it for the sake of being _normal_. Kaeru stopped caring for _normal_ a long time ago.

“You don’t have to smile, if you don’t want to, ya know. I can tell you struggle with expressing yourself but you don’t need to force it. Just _let go_ and do what feels right.”

Apparently his words _did_ strike some kind of chord because his dark eyes widened slightly--barely enough to pick up on unless you were _really_ observant--and his painfully fake smile softened into something more genuine. It wasn’t perfect but it was something, progress.

He didn’t give Kaeru a response outside of that.

Sai was never talkative, mostly, especially when he was new to the team. He knew that some book he’d read during the _first_ time he met Sai was what convinced the boy that nicknames were a good idea. He dreaded to think about what his nickname could possibly be this time. If Sai thought he was girly, even _jokingly_ , before what would he think now that Kaeru wore his hair long and had long since lost his baby fat? He resigned himself to hoping _this_ Sai hadn’t read that particular book or had someone to guide him on appropriate nicknames

Kaeru moved beneath the tree directly across from Sai but didn’t sit down immediately.

“Do you mind if I sit here? I won’t bother you or interrupt your drawing. I’m just gonna meditate,” He _did_ want to meditate but that wasn’t the sole reason for wanting to sit by the boy. He wanted to know _this_ Sai, wanted him to be comfortable around him and wanted to give him friends in the form of the Konoha 12. He wanted him to experience the kind of love _his_ Sai had known, wanted to save him from the pain of loneliness (even if he had _someone_ , the unfortunate truth was that sometimes it wasn’t enough). Everyone deserved precious people, especially those who survived hell--it was the same thing he told himself every day to stay afloat in a world that wasn’t his own.

At Sai’s “Okay,” Kaeru sat himself cross legged and closed his eyes, allowing the energy around him to eb and flow in and out of him. He wasn’t trying to enter Sage Mode, not really, but the feeling of Nature around him helped ground him. It was the happiest he was able to feel when he was on his own and it was during meditations like those that he was able to visit his _passengers_ as well.

He could feel Sai’s dark eyes on him for a few moments more before he looked away, probably to continue his drawing.

Kaeru fell into his mindscape, into the Gathering Place.

**~**

It was like a dream, having all nine Bijuu that were sealed within him awake and active. They bickered in ways that could rival his old arguments with Sasuke (and that included all murder attempts as well) and gave him an unending headache 50% of the time but now it was hard to image being there, in this alternate timeline, without them. While they were asleep he could feel them, their presence never went away but when they were awake it was different. With them he was _never_ alone--it was a blessing and a curse (especially when he lost his virginity). If he needed input or a pick-me-up or a slap to the face to _snap out of it_ , they were there. They judged him and insulted him and cared about him and shared his grief. He didn’t want to know where he’d be without them. So he focused on them, his bonds with them, how they’ve changed with him, as he fell into his meditation.

Shukaku was probably the most like he’d been as a child. He was loud and crazy and determined not to be looked down upon for the number of tails he had. He was also fiercely protective and extremely proficient in his _Fuuton_ , _Doton_ and _Jiton_ techniques. He’d been the first to wake (considering they woke up in order of Tails) and without the pressure of war, he’d been able to learn a lot from the Tanuki (including that he was incredibly soft for Gaara). He was especially helpful (and Kaeru loved him for it) when it came to defence. With Shukaku came his ability to control sand and it saved his hyde more than once while fighting (both in the war and against the Akatsuki in the timeline he was currently in) His laugh even became cute instead of terrifying after a while (at least when Kaeru was in on the joke).

Matatabi was hugely different in comparison. She was polite, formal even (despite his protests), and calm. Kaeru wasn’t too proud to admit he’d expected, for lack of a better term, a hot head. Maybe it was wrong of him to judge based on appearances alone but his intuition tended to be right--except with her. Despite being both a cat (whom he’d always associated with Sasuke/Neji level pride) and completely covered in flames (which spoke for itself, really), Matatabi had never been anything other than polite. Even when she got annoyed with him (Kaeru severely envied Yugito’s luck when it came to which Bijuu she had growing up). She was also one of the few that only _mildly_ disliked humans, outside of the Jinchuuriki and was definitely the most tolerant. She reminded him a lot of his mom (if his mom had been a fiery blue cat instead of a fiery redhead).

In stark contrast, Isobu didn’t like humans much at all. He was a being of destruction and bore witnessed to enough genocide throughout his long life to hate humans for it (not to mention being captured and sold, which he held a strong grudge for). He was shy but did like to tell stories about what Yagura had been like before Tobi had gotten to him (which proved right after he broke the hold the Uchiha had on him). He was one of the least talkative, along with the other Water Country Native and had taken the longest to warm up to Kaeru (his timid-ness was much less of a problem after so many years).

Son, or Son Gokuu, was the most prideful next to Kurama. He took great pride in his relation to the Sage of Six Paths and being a Tailed Beast and _hated_ being referred to by his number of tails (Yonbi). Despite that, he was respectful to those who’d earned it and exceptionally powerful with his _Youton_. It was terrifying and Kaeru never wanted to be on the receiving end (having Bijuu Balls shot at him was _more_ than enough). Out of all of the Bijuu, Son was also the one Kurama respected the most, even if the damn fox would deny it until the day he died. Kaeru was pretty sure there weren’t many people in Son’s life that he truly trusted (that included Roshi, until fairly recently) and he was glad that he chose to place that trust in _him_.

Kokuo was another quiet one. She didn’t trust humans in the least (with few exceptions). She was a pacifist of the highest degree and detested confrontation, though she would gladly defend herself and those she cared about if she needed to and Kaeru respected that the most. When he’d been young, all he wanted to do was fight and when he was finally faced with a life or death situation, all he could see was their lives, their pain. He could kill if he needed to, he had several times before, but it wasn’t something he enjoyed. He always loved a good spar, but there was little to like about true confrontation and the destruction that tended to follow. Kurama thought he was soft in that regard and he was right but something like that never stopped him from doing what needed to be done. He knew Kokuo was the same and while she never really spoke much about Han (and Kaeru only met him once before switching timelines) he knew Han shared a similar mindset.

Saiken was similar. He didn’t care for mindless death and destruction and tended to be the friendliest of the nine. He was bubbly (pun intended) and energetic and overall the youngest in terms of behavior--Kaeru didn’t mind, he tended to be the one to support his more harmless pranks where Kurama tended to get really into the more dangerous ones and was easy to joke around with. He wasn’t above killing to protect himself and never really cared to take over Utakata when he’d been his vessel (also very unlike Kurama until nearly ten years earlier-- _gods_ he was getting old).

Chomei was similar in that he was happy-go-lucky and Kaeru often found himself talking to him when he was in one of his cheerful moods that tended to annoy Kurama. He considered himself lucky number seven and had a confidence in himself Kaeru had envied for a long time--especially during the war. Normally focusing on his presence, his happiness, was enough to pull him from particularly black moods too, at least while in private (or at the very least, when it was socially acceptable to meditate).

Gyuuki was probably the one he was the closest to besides Kurama and Shukaku--because of the pain they felt from their shared losses. He was a good teacher and got Kaeru through some particularly hard times--especially when he’d woken up after the jump. On the outside, he seemed rude and almost mean but Kaeru learned that when you earned his trust and respect, when you became his friend, he could rival the redhead in loyalty. He shared stories about B that he never got the chance to know from the man himself on dark nights between fighting Kaguya and trying to release more people from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Kaeru found himself relying on him more and more, especially when Kurama was out of commission for so long. There was a time where he’d cursed the fox for being sealed inside him, cursed his father, but being without him for so long was an ache that stayed with him until he finally woke up barely a week earlier.

Kurama was a walking contradiction. He cared deeply but didn’t care to show it (such a tsundere), he hated violence against those he cared about but loved violence against his enemies. He was rude and loyal and protective and crude and no matter how much they bickered Kaeru was completely unashamed of the way he mercilessly cuddled the fox the night he woke up. He’d had no idea what happened, how much time had passed, where they were or even if it had worked. Kaeru spent all night catching him up. Apparently being around the piece of himself that was in Naruto was all it took to wake him up. Neither human nor Bijuu were sure exactly what about the situation caused Kurama’s awakening but they all assumed it had something to do with the extra chakra that Naruto himself wasn’t using.

The nine of them were created to be balanced, it was why no two had the same abilities nor did they pass the same abilities to their Jinchuuriki. They were as in-tune with nature as they could possibly get, as beings made completely from chakra themselves and their energy flowed through him as easily as his own did. He could sense it now, as a Sage, just how balanced all of it was, or perhaps it was the Rikudou Sennin’s power that he wielded that allowed him to feel it. It was, after all, a power completely built on balance. The mark he’d received, the white sun on his palm, had _burned_ when it was separated from its other half but he was able to access it all the same. It wasn’t meant to exist without its other half and using it too much left him exhausted but it was still there. The Bijuu had been grateful, apparently he was meant to be Hagoromo’s successor.

He felt himself flicker between Sage Mode, Bijuu Mode and Sage of Six Paths Mode but his chakra eventually settled on none and when he opened his eyes he was alone under the tree. He felt Sai leave but he didn’t know how long ago it had been, it felt like minutes but it could’ve easily been hours. In his place was the drawing he’d been working on when Kaeru first noticed him. The redhead wondered what made him change his mind about letting him see, let alone _giving_ his art to a stranger.

There were two drawings, as it turned out. One that he’d been working on while Kaeru danced through his Katas and the other while he’d been meditating. One might ask exactly how the redhead knew when they were drawn when he hadn’t been paying the slightest bit of attention but it had a very simple answer. The drawings were of him and they were _beautiful_. Kaeru had never been one to really consider himself that attractive. _Before_ , he’d had qualities people tended to find attractive; blue eyes, blond hair, tan skin, toned body. He had his mother’s face,or so he’d been told, he was pretty sure his mother was more beautiful than he could ever be--male or female. He didn’t think he was _ugly_ by any means but he wasn’t Sasuke or Gaara or Neji. He wasn’t cool and mysterious like Kakashi or tall and built like B or handsome like Asuma. He’d never been sure what Hinata or Sasuke or _anyone_ had ever seen in him outside of the strength he’d earned and the things he’d achieved. He’d just been _Naruto_ and now he was just _Kaeru_.

He was pale and thin, though he was still toned, and _scarred_.

But looking at Sai’s drawing made him rethink that, if only a little.

In the first one he was in the middle of a move from his katas. His left foot was planted firmly on the ground and his right was raised high in the air. His long, red hair flowed like water (or blood, if his nickname was to be believed) with the movement of his body. The background was serene trees and calm skies and completely lacking the destruction he’d left in his wake. It was realistic, like looking in a mirror but something about it was beautiful, like he was seeing himself in a way he’d never bothered to see before.

The second was just as breathtaking. It was just him meditating in front of the large tree, patches of sunlight lighting up his hair and pale skin in small spots where it poked through the foliage above.

Kaeru couldn’t help but wonder if it was the drawings that were evoking those emotions or if it was his bond with Sai. The older boy had died fighting and it had been brutal. Kaeru kept the drawings that had been left behind, carried them with the small group of ninja as they bounced from base to base. He hadn’t been able to take many with him in the jump but neither of those drawings--doodles, really, if he were to compare--ever challenged his view of anything. Not even himself.

If what Kaeru saw in the drawings was what Hinata had seen when she’d been crushing on him or what Sasuke saw until his eyes _couldn’t_ then maybe he understood. He didn’t think his reflection could compare to Sai’s masterpieces. Sai’s art was something that never ceased to awe him every time.

Kaeru kept the drawings safe as he sealed them away to save them properly when he returned home.

* * *

Sai was sure that the pretty red haired man, Kaeru, wouldn’t see exactly _why_ he’d chosen to draw him--he seemed oblivious in that way, so he didn’t see the harm in leaving the two drawings for him. They weren’t the only two, but they were the two he’d liked the best and, for a reason he couldn’t explain, he wanted the redhead to see them.

Normally he tended to keep his art, his _personal art_ , to himself (and occasionally his brother). People tended not to survive seeing his _combat art_ but he supposed it felt nice to believe a stranger could appreciate his art the same way someone who knew him did.

He wondered if Yamato-sensei knew anything about the mysterious redhead he hadn’t seen before.

* * *

Kaeru felt Kakashi’s presence long before he laid eyes on the man. He was walking through the village to get home to make lunch, luckily for him, Ero Sennin was either “researching” or with the Sandaime and couldn’t complain about what he made. He was barely halfway before he felt the familiar electric chakra just behind him, about to lay his gloved hand on the redhead’s shoulder.

“Hey, Kakashi,” He said casually, almost dismissively, just before the masked jounin could make contact but didn’t pause his walking.

Unfortunately the cyclops didn’t falter. It tended to get most people, especially if he timed it right but he supposed that Kakashi had always adjusted quickly and managed to stay stone-faced even in life threatening situations.

“Yo,” Kaeru considered himself lucky that their meetings were always spontaneous (at least on his end) and he didn’t have to worry about the silver haired shinobi’s punctuality. Otherwise his typical greeting would grate on his nerves even more than it had as a kid.

“Did you need something?” Kaeru could tell there was something bugging him, not something world-shattering or deadly but _something_. He wondered if it had to do with Naruto.

Kakashi was about to respond (or Kaeru assumed he was since he saw the man’s mask move a little when he glanced back) when someone ran into him.

He knew it was coming, it would’ve been easy to dodge it too, and maybe it was underhanded but it was the first time he’d sensed the man so close let alone properly laid eyes on him. Kaeru was determined to make him his new best friend.

The tanned chunin dropped a good number of the papers he was holding and Kaeru reacted immediately in the most convincing way possible (which was _very_ because he was good at infiltration despite what Sakura liked to say).

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” He did a good job of sounding frantic but the apologetic tone he had was very real. He felt incredibly bad for forcing the scarred shinobi to bump into him and drop his papers, but it was a necessary evil. It wasn’t any worse than the time he essentially kidnapped Sasuke and took his place because of his crush on Sakura (that was _really_ bad). Kaeru bent down to grab the scattered papers. “Let me help you.”

He collected a good portion of the fallen papers and his unfortunate victim picked up the couple stragglers he’d missed. He handed them back with a genuine, apologetic smile.

“Here. Sorry again.”

“Oh don’t worry about it! I should’ve been paying attention,” The atmosphere grew awkward as they stood on the mostly-empty street, not knowing how to proceed. “I’m Umino Iruka. What’s your name? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before…”

It was clear that he’d heard the rumors and was trying to confirm whether or not they were true. The redhead decided to put him out of his misery and gave the chunin a blinding grin as he introduced himself.

“I’m Kaeru. I’ve been in the village for about a month but I’ve been kinda keeping to myself… Kakashi’s last attempt to socialize me hadn’t ended well so I mostly just train when I’m not on missions.” Perhaps it was oversharing but it was bound to spark something in the man he’d looked up to as an older brother (and occasionally a mom).

Between the grin and his _face_ \--which was pretty identical because they were the same person, he was just older and thinner--Kaeru thought it was actually pretty obvious. Maybe the red hair threw them off, since it was almost the opposite of blond.

Iruka’s face said everything Kaeru needed to know. Whatever rumors he’d been trying to confirm (probably the ones about _that_ incident), he’d gotten his answer to. The look in the chunin’s eyes changed as he studied the redhead’s face. If he was looking for something specific, he found it. There was a spark behind his eyes, like a lightbulb went off in his head, like he figured something out.

Kaeru wondered if he’d figured out what Kakashi had been trying to in a fraction of the time (if he did, it certainly said something about Kakashi’s level of genius). Kaeru wouldn’t put it past the taller man if he did. At the time, Iruka had been the one he was closest to, the one who knew him best and if anyone was going to figure out that Kaeru and Naruto were one and the same so early in the game it would be him.

“Those were test papers… does that mean you’re a teacher?” Quid pro quo and all. He gave up personal information, it was only fair Iruka did the same.

“Ah, yes. I teach at the Ninja Academy.”

Kaeru never got to express his gratitude for Iruka before he’d died, he wondered if the Iruka from his timeline would be listening.

“A teacher? That’s admirable. When I was a kid I was closest to my teacher. He cared about me in a way no one except my parents ever had. I took that for granted when I was young, but now that I’m older it’s easy to see the importance of an academy teacher. You set the base for everything young genin are to learn in the future, it’s very important.”

He could tell Iruka wanted to protest, say that there was no way his job was anywhere near that important. Kaeru didn’t let him. Naruto needed him, even when Kaeru entered the picture, and Naruto was the only one who’d be able to prove it to him.

They parted ways soon after that and Kakashi was giving him a look.

“What?”

“You could sense him.”

Oh. He picked up on that.

“I was a little distracted,” Kaeru regretted the words as soon as they exited his mouth but luckily Kakashi was too busy dissecting the situation to make any jokes.

“You sensed me.”

Kakashi would never _not_ be an incredibly frustrating man.

“I recognized _you_. Besides, I don’t always do it when I’m in the village,” It was a blatant lie but it was convincing. He was _way_ too paranoid to not sense everything but there were people Kaeru was too selfish to give up completely. He probably would’ve done something similar to Kakashi if he hadn’t been assigned to him upon his arrival.

The silver haired jounin dropped it for the time being, but it was clear that he was still thinking about it. Luckily the suspicion he was under was less the _you’re dangerous and may destroy the village_ kind and more the _you took the last cookie_ variety.

Kakashi ended up joining him for lunch (which was late). Kaeru made miso ramen with pork from scratch and Jiraiya wasn’t there to complain about the amount of ramen the redhead tended to make.

Kaeru decided that when _he_ was cut off from his favorite meal for ten years, then he could complain about the amount he ate.

It was one of the nicest meals-for-two he’d ever had and something about the atmosphere was different. It was probably just Kakashi’s dumb, handsome face (he _had_ seen it during the war and he could confirm).

Was Kakashi’s natural eye color _always_ the same as iron ore?

* * *

Naruto was _ready_.

He spent almost the entirety of Saturday and Saturday night preparing his grand prank and it was _brilliant_. There was no way the redhead would escape _this_ time.

Sakura didn’t want to help him, which was disappointing and of course Sasuke called him an idiot but Naruto knew it was genius. Neither of them understood the secret art of pranking the way he did, the way _Kaeru_ did--it was unfortunate, but true. Kaeru was a worthy opponent, but _he’d_ been pulling pranks in the village since he was old enough to and there was no way some new guy, jounin or not, would get the better of him.

He had _everything_.

Two pitfalls, four rope traps, stink bombs, paint bombs, smoke bombs, mud bombs, water balloons, feathers, you name it, and _only_ he knew where the triggers were. All that was left was to wait for the man to show up.

The blond had rigged the training ground his _minions_ had said he trained on most often. They’d said he usually showed up early in the morning and for once Naruto was grateful for the early meeting times they were forced to adhere to by Kakashi-sensei. It turned out the ability to stay awake while waiting--something that was _extremely_ boring--would come in handy after all!

When Kaeru showed up there would be nowhere to run, anywhere he could go was rigged with another trap and eventually he’d be caught. There was no way he could dodge forever and even if he _did_ manage to avoid his ropes and pitfalls, Naruto could easily overwhelm him with the massive number of clones he could make. No one made a fool of Uzumaki Naruto and got away with it forever (except himself, but those instances were accidental), not Sasuke and certainly not some stranger he’d never seen in the village before.

The wait for Kaeru seemed to take forever and Naruto quickly realized that bringing food would’ve been a smart thing to do--unfortunately, he did not do that and moving now could spell disaster. One wrong move from him and _he_ could set off his many, _many_ traps. None of them were dangerous (he’d never seriously hurt a member of Konoha unless they were a _traitor_ like Mizuki) but they _were_ humiliating. He’d chosen a particularly nasty shade of green to contrast the brilliant red of his long hair and he’d heard mud was great for the skin from Sakura or Ino once before.

A few minutes turned into an hour and that hour turned into several and for a while Naruto wondered if the redhead’s schedule for Sunday was different than the rest of the week.

He accidentally drifted off before he got his answer.

When he woke up from his mini-nap nothing had changed, his traps were still set and nothing seemed out of place (unless you were counting the sun, which was now significantly higher in the sky). With a sigh, Naruto came carefully out of his hiding place and went to deactivate his traps for the time being, or what he _could_ deactivate, at least (there was no way he was refilling his pit traps when he still intended to use them). He needed more intel before the mission could proceed.

Everything was fine until he noticed that the trap he intended to deactivate was _already_ deactivated. One by one, Naruto went through all his traps and they all seemed to be deactivated. By the end, all that was left were his rope traps and the pitfalls (which he wasn’t touching). Each rope was untied and his patience was wearing thin. He didn’t bother to check the last rope before stepping on the trigger, knowing nothing was going to happen.

He was wrong.

Naruto remembered too late that there were _rules_ when it came to traps. The biggest and most important rule was simple: _always double check before entering the line of fire_.

The blond did _not_ double check.

In a split second, Naruto was hanging from the tree by his ankles, not unlike what had happened during the Bell Test.

What _was_ unlike the Bell Test was that his kunai were with his _prank kit_ and he had no way to cut himself down.

Of course, that was when the redhead decided to descend from the tree he’d been hiding in. The same tree that Naruto was dangling from like a holiday ornament. The blond growled and Kaeru _laughed_. The bastard actually had the audacity to _laugh at him_. Naruto underestimated the redhead’s power, of that he was certain. Kaeru was an experienced prankster and was older with more experience (though he wasn’t sure how much given how short he was compared to anyone over the age of fourteen).

“Checkmate, brat. You certainly are persistent.” Naruto wanted to smack the cockiness right out of him.

“Who do you think you are, messing with my traps?” He was seething, face bright red from anger (and probably also from the blood rushing to his head from being upside down).

“You started this, kid. It would’ve been so much easier if you just approached me and asked whatever questions you had.”

Apparently he was psychic too.

“Like you would’ve answered ‘em!” No one answered Naruto’s questions when it came to important or big stuff.

“I would’ve,” There was no way he wasn’t bluffing. “Also, next time you want someone to spy on me, I’d recommend actual shinobi. Academy students aren’t gonna cut it. Or do it yourself”

He should’ve known it was a bad idea to send in three kids who thought boxes were square with eye holes for such an important mission. Naruto didn’t let the man know he was right, he already seemed cocky enough--even now he was looking at the blond with amusement crackling in his violet blue eyes.

They stared at each other in silence for a while before Naruto finally cracked, the silence becoming too much for him.

“You can let me down now.” It wasn’t a request and he made sure Kaeru knew that.

“Can I? I don’t know. You seem to be enjoying the view,” Where did the redhead get off making fun of _his_ height? Naruto could barely tell if the man before him was even an adult, he was so short. Shorter than Kiba’s _female_ jounin sensei if Konohamaru was to be believed. “Who even are you, kid?”

Naruto growled. He never noticed the hint of a smirk on the redhead’s face as he prepared to answer.

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I’m gonna be Hokage one day! Believe it! So you better respect me.”

Something in the man’s deep blue-violet eyes changed at his words. They widened and seemed to soften and something akin to sadness and relief filled them where only amusement had been only seconds earlier.

“That’s _interesting_ …” He paused and seemed to need time to gather himself. Eventually, Naruto was met with a large, genuine smile. “I’m Uzumaki Kaeru. It’s nice to meet you.”

Naruto stared.

And stared.

He was pretty sure his brain short circuited because there was no way he heard that right.

_What?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, I did the thing again. Sorry not sorry. 😁
> 
> I couldn't help making Sai have a crush on Kaeru too. Sorry-not-sorry. Originally I forgot about Sai, then I was confused about how to integrate him (and what to do about his name that doesn't exist at this point in the timeline-which I pretty much skipped over 😂 It's fine, he just happened to choose that name or something) then I remembered _he draws_. So I just kinda stuck him in the background drawing, then the drawing turned into him drawing Kaeru and it evolved from there (or devolved depending on who you ask). He's much younger here and he's been free of Danzo for over a year (possibly two, if I'm not mistaken in my own timeline) so he has a basic grasp of emotions and thinks Kaeru is pretty. Of course, he's not wrong so it all works out. Yay! Also Sai needs love and Kaeru is giving it out like candy.
> 
> Did I explain Kaeru's relationship with each of the nine Bijuu to stall while I tried to think of how to continue (and for word count)? Yes. But it was going to be explained more soon anyway so really it was bound to happen _and_ there will be more snippets in the future. Also, Bijuu appear for real next chapter! Hooray!
> 
> Fun fact: While researching for this chapter I found out that Hikaru Hitachiin from _Ouran High School Host Club_ is voiced by the same person who voiced Murasakibara from _Kuroko no Basuke_ and also voiced Chomei in Naruto in the Japanese version (If you guys could see the face I made when I saw that tidbit of info, I swear 😂).
> 
> Also, since I used a lot of these:
> 
> Suiton: Water Release
> 
> Doton: Earth Release
> 
> Fuuton: Wind Release
> 
> Katon: Fire Release
> 
> Jiton: Magnet Release
> 
> Youton: Lava Release
> 
> Futton: Boil Release
> 
> I'll probably switch between the Japanese and English in the future but here's the list as of this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you for all your reviews, and thanks to those who've added this to their alerts and favorites! It seriously means the world that you're all liking this story so much!
> 
> See you next Friday!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo


	11. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confrontation and bonding (and disgustingly short). Also revelations!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 10 Week Anniversary! I can't believe I've kept up with this so well for this long! It's a miracle! Thanks for sticking with me for this long you guys, you're amazing!
> 
> I slept until 5pm and I'm still tired but that's okay. (I'm nocturnal for those who don't know so I don't normally fall asleep until after 6-8 AM...😂). We're here anyway, even though it's kinda short.
> 
> On the agenda today! Kaeru's side of their meeting, Talking with Hiruzen, Family bonding and more revalations! The works! It's mostly fluff (I think? Kinda?), but that's how it's going to be from now on (for now at least...)

**Chapter Ten: Family**

* * *

Finding out Naruto’s plan to trap him was easy for Kaeru. They shared a brain, older as his own may be, and as much as he’d like to forget just how he behaved as a kid (Kurama rarely let him forget it), he remembered it intimately. He _also_ remembered just how pitiful his traps used to be (at least compared to how they were _now_ ). Thus dismantling Naruto’s plan was just as pitifully easy, especially since Kaeru hardly needed sleep anymore and the small blond was still adjusting to Kakashi’s hell-schedule. Going from sleeping late everyday--sorry Iruka-sensei--to waking up at the crack of dawn, only to wait for hours for a perpetually late jounin wasn’t easy. It took months for him to adjust properly and by the time he did he was leaving with Jiraiya for almost three years with an even crazier schedule.

Of course, that didn’t mean he expected his counterpart to actually be sleeping when he showed up. He was a good enough, fast enough, shinobi to not get caught even if the blond was awake (he was a master of the Transformation technique _and_ had better speed than anyone he knew of that was still living. He couldn’t be annoyed with the boy for making his job easier though. His traps were hidden fairly well and likely would’ve gotten most unsuspecting shinobi but they were simple and disarming them was easy--he made a note to teach Naruto how to rig traps with seals so enemies couldn’t disarm them without consequences.

He left the trap furthest from where the blond was sleeping rigged knowing he’d check it last.

When Kaeru hid, there was no finding him. At least not for anyone lower rank than jounin and that was only for the sake of his lovely stalkers--there were fewer of them now but he’d still rather not make them think he was up to something _actually_ bad. He’d already made sure to openly discuss the pranks (when his tiny stalkers weren’t around) he’d been playing on Naruto so they knew there was nothing sketchy going on. It was bad enough they freaked out when the blond pulled pranks, he’d rather not keep the pattern going--whether they knew about the Bijuu or not.

He didn’t have to wait long before the younger Uzumaki was awake and checking his traps after finding the redhead wasn’t caught in any of them.

It was too easy.

The last rope captured Naruto’s ankles in a beautiful recreation of Kakashi’s trap from the Bell Test (although his was better because he didn’t even need to bait it). Honestly he didn’t even think about Naruto having kunai, though he clearly _didn’t_ going by the way he stared at his thigh where his pouch was missing.

He slid down the tree, making sure Naruto saw, with a shit-eating grin on his face. He growled at the redhead and Kaeru couldn’t help the genuine laughter that bubbled out of him. He wondered if it was self-centered to find his past self cute (and ignored Kurama’s comments on the matter) but decided that since they were no longer the same it made no difference. Besides, if he was going to be a part of Naruto’s life then he needed to treat him as _family_ not as his past self. It was probably better to forget that mindset altogether--no matter how old he got he was still _Naruto_ deep down and he still slipped (though he was pretty sure not many would believe that he was the future version of Naruto).

Naruto glared at him harder but there was a spark of realization in his eyes. As if he realized just what he’d been messing with the whole time. Poking the sleeping bear so to speak. Despite the ounce of respect he’d earned from the blond he couldn’t help but feel like he was being judged.

“Checkmate, brat. You certainly are persistent,” The remark came easily. He didn’t lie and his casual tone would prevent any kind of familiarity beyond their previous interactions. No one would ever know he’d been aware of the kid’s identity the entire time.

Naruto didn’t appreciate the comment. Kaeru didn’t care.

“Who do you think you are, messing with my traps?” The blond’s tan face turned red and Kaeru wondered if it was purely his anger causing it or if he really needed to be cut down. Knowing himself it was anger and frustration.

“You started this, kid. It would’ve been so much easier if you just approached me and asked whatever questions you had.” It was true. He likely never would’ve thought about doing anything close to this had Naruto just asked him whatever he wanted to know outright. That didn’t mean Kaeru hadn’t been enjoying every second of it, because he _was_.

“Like you would’ve answered ‘em!”

Kaeru paused but he didn’t think the blond noticed.

That was true wasn’t it? Back then, wherever he’d asked about anything he felt was important he was always left hanging. Of course he couldn’t tell the whole truth but that didn’t mean he had to lie completely either. Vagaries were still answers, especially compared to the responses he got to his questions about his parents as a kid.

“I would’ve,” Naruto didn’t seem to believe him but there was plenty of time to earn his trust (earning his own trust… Time travel would never _not_ be weird). “Also, next time you want someone to spy on me, I’d recommend actual shinobi. Academy students aren’t gonna cut it. Or do it yourself.”

He had no idea what Naruto had been thinking, sending _those_ three as spies. He knew that not many people would’ve helped but there had to be a better choice than three 8 year olds who still didn’t know how to camouflage. Sad as it was, it was still funny. _You live, you learn_ , he supposed.

They stared at each other for a while, Naruto’s blue eyes searching for something before the silence became too much for him.

“You can let me down now.”

It was a demand and Kaeru couldn’t help but tease him because he learned long ago that demanding things from the one who held your life in the palm of his hands (even if Kaeru would never actually hurt him) was usually a bad idea.

“Can I? I don’t know. You seem to be enjoying the view,” Maybe it was stupid to poke fun at his counterpart’s height but he couldn’t help it. Kaeru wasn’t a tall man (the fact that he’d barely grown a centimeter since he was seventeen spoke for itself) but being 145 cm at age twelve wasn’t good and the more he made Naruto realize that by changing his diet he got out of being _Kaeru’s_ height, the less he had to worry about people noticing the too-many-to-be-a-coincidence similarities.

Kaeru realized that _here_ would be the most natural time to ask the brat’s name. He put on an amused smirk and laced his voice with just enough confusion to seem natural. It was a tone he’d heard many times when the question was directed at _him_ and copying it was easy.

“Who even _are_ you, kid?”

The proud response only made his smirk widen.

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I’m gonna be Hokage one day! Believe it! So you better respect me.” _Perfect_.

His eyes did a thing as he actually took in how he sounded when he said that. Naruto had always been so desperate for approval, for someone to look at him and respect him and not look at him like he was _weak_ or some kind of evil monster (it never made sense how that worked since weak monsters were nothing to fear at all but then again he’d never understood their hatred completely anyway.

He smiled softly at the blond. He needed to sound sincere and as much as they weren’t _really_ family, he’d be the best damn brother/mother/father/cousin he could--though he would never even try to replace Iruka-sensei.

“That’s _interesting_ …” His smile widened and became more genuine, actually meeting his eyes. “I’m Uzumaki Kaeru. It’s nice to meet you.”

Naruto stared for a moment, then another.

He didn’t blink.

“ _What!?_ ” It was almost a whisper but Kaeru’s sharp ears easily picked up on the incredulous tone of voice. The redhead doubted Naruto even knew he said it outloud.

**~()~**

They didn’t talk much outside of Kaeru’s suggestion of going to see the Sandaime Hokage about it. They didn’t walk to Hokage Tower, either. With his shadows watching it was best to make it seem like he was rushing anyway so allowing Naruto to cling to his back like a koala while Kaeru roof-hopped his way there (away from prying eyes) in peace.

Just by looking at the blond he could easily identify the emotions, but being able to sense them as strongly as he could (especially since he’d felt that way before) was _a lot_. He could feel the anger burning in the blond’s belly at the thought of being kept away from family, the hope that was just barely creeping in no matter how hard he tried to push it down. The sadness and joy and confusion and rage rolled off the boy in waves so large it was almost surprising no one else noticed it.

It was powerful and intimately familiar. When Kaeru found out about his family, all of them were dead. He hadn’t known Jiraiya was his godfather until far too late, he didn’t know who his parents were until he met their _chakra impressions_ \--because of Kurama no less. He actually thanked the fox for it once and he got flustered. If he didn’t have fur covering his cheeks, Kaeru was sure there would’ve been a blush there. It wasn’t often the great Kyuubi got thanked for something--let alone something that happened because he was trying to take control and break free. It all ended well so Kaeru thought it was only fair. The feeling wasn’t entirely pleasant but Kaeru supposed that it was probably different when the family member in question was actually alive.

He wondered briefly, if he should continue to keep Nagato a secret and decided in favor. Relative or not, if _anyone_ heard about where he was or even that he was alive then he would be in danger. There was little doubt he was still recovering his strength and even at full power, if Tobi got his hands on his eyes it was over. He’d stolen his body for that very purpose before and Kaeru had no intention of letting the older redhead die again. No. Nagato would remain a secret to _everyone_ until Obito was taken care of, whether that meant killing him or saving him all over again.

It was amazing how deeply Kaeru was capable of thinking sometimes. Sasuke probably would’ve laughed and called him a liar or asked if he had any working brain cells left.

They arrived at the tower faster than he expected and the look on the old man’s face said everything. It showed the guilt he felt but his resolve, his knowledge that he made the right choice. Kaeru knew that he probably made the right choice regarding his parents too. As a kid he’d had a big mouth and he never would’ve shut up if he knew _the_ Yondaime, his hero, was also his father. That wasn’t even considering the enemies his father left behind. The fewer people that had known about him at that age the better and Kaeru can’t say for certain if he would’ve made a different choice. That didn’t mean he wasn’t still bitter about never being told. He wondered when he would’ve been told if the old man hadn’t died, if he hadn’t met either of them in his mindscape. When he became a chunin? A jounin? When he turned a certain age? He didn’t know, would probably never know because his presence in the timeline most likely changed that too.

With Kaeru there, Hiruzen would either have _him_ tell Naruto about his parents--or his mother at least--or choose to tell him sooner than he’d originally planned. It didn’t matter much to Kaeru. Either way Naruto wouldn’t have to find out the Yellow Flash was his father after going on a rampage (or be forced to deal with a world where everything is the opposite, with his parents alive, only to be forced to leave again and watch one of your closest friends run up to _her_ parents). He wouldn’t spend even _more_ time wondering if his parents loved him, if they gave him up, if they wanted him at all. Minato and Kushina loved him and Kaeru would make sure Naruto knew that as well as he did. He wouldn’t have to suffer finding out that the man he’d seen as a father or grandfather was actually his godfather the entire time _after_ he died on a mission he never should’ve gone on. He could have a family and be happy and never have to deal with any of the pains of Kaeru’s timeline.

He couldn’t prevent everything, not by a long shot, but he could stop the _big_ things. The things that matter the most, even if it turned everyone into different people, they’d be alive to be those people and Kaeru would never _not_ love them.

The redhead didn’t know if Hiruzen was aware of how deep into his own head he’d once again fallen but he didn’t say anything for a while. Once again Naruto, still attached to his back (though now he was standing on his own), broke the silence.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

* * *

Hiruzen had heard few sentences that hurt him as much as _that_ one.

Almost every action he’d taken since the Kyuubi attack had been to protect the blond boy. To keep his father’s enemies ignorant and far away. To keep knowledge of the Kyuubi’s jinchuuriki away from everyone in an effort to keep groups like the Akatsuki _away_. That didn’t mean he didn’t regret any of his choices or that he felt good about making them. There weren’t many things more painful to watch than a child so desperate for love, for any semblance of family (even if they were dead), _begging_ to know why he didn’t have parents. To know why everyone hated him so much. He’d remained firm in his decision, no matter how sad Naruto looked. He wasn’t to know until he could properly protect himself, until he could properly understand why it was so important that no one found out who he was.

The old man sighed. Kaeru ran his pale, thin fingers through Naruto’s blond locks and gave him a soft smile. There was an odd look in his eyes, not quite hurt but something else--perhaps regret?--but there was also clear understanding.

“Naruto, I want you to listen to everything I say before you make any comments. Okay? It’s very important you try to see where I’m coming from. You want to be Hokage one day, don’t you?”

The blond nodded his head, a determined look in his eyes. He didn’t say anything.

“Being Hokage means making hard decisions sometimes. You might hate it, but there are choices you have to make to ensure the village, and its inhabitants’ safety,” Naruto seemed to be following along so he continued. “About a month ago, Konoha requested that Uzumaki join the village on probation. He is a well known bounty hunter, famous for taking down S-Rank Nukenin from a very dangerous organization. When we made this request we weren’t sure he was who he said he was so we set up tests to prove his heritage and his loyalty to the village.”

Kaeru caught the confused look immediately and answered the unspoken question.

“The Uzumaki were a large clan, hailing from the lost village of Uzushiogakure. The clan was feared for their mastery over extremely Fuuinjutsu techniques and was destroyed for the same reason. Survivors were widespread and hunted down for their unique abilities.”

Hiruzen continued before Naruto could speak up. There would be time for all the boy’s questions (and he knew there would be a _lot_ of them) after everything was explained.

“Quite right. I had planned to introduce the two of you properly _tomorrow_ , to avoid this kind of confrontation but the universe seemed to have other plans. Naruto, you have to understand that Kaeru-san could’ve been very dangerous--to you and to the village. We are very lucky he turned out to be so genuine but things could’ve turned out very differently. We had to know you would be safe with him.”

With his explanation, Hiruzen could see some of the tension melting off of Naruto. That didn’t mean it wasn’t entirely clear that the boy had _a lot_ to say on the matter.

**~()~**

As he suspected, Naruto had a lot of questions. Mostly sensible ones too, like how he and Kaeru were related, what that meant for them now, things like that and it was surprising but just further proved that Naruto would surprise everyone one day.

When he sent them off to bond, Hiruzen felt a smile stretch across his wrinkled cheeks…

Until he realized that the two pranksters would likely get along like wildfire and the whole village was doomed.

He was pretty sure the only reason the village was still standing with two Uzumakis in it was because they didn’t know each other.

He decided that since Kakashi was responsible for the both of them, more or less, he could deal with it. Or Jiraiya.

Actually… That was probably a bad idea too.

And if Konohamaru got involved...

What had he created?

* * *

Naruto… Didn’t know how to feel.

On one hand he was happy. Really happy. He had a family. He wasn’t alone like he always thought he was. _Finally_ someone would be able to answer his questions! He wouldn’t have to wake up and go home to an empty apartment anymore! It wasn’t his parents, sure, but it was _something_.

On the other hand he was angry. Why had he not come before now? Did he know Naruto existed? Did he know about the Kyuubi? Why did no one tell him he had a clan, why hadn’t he even _heard_ of it before?

He just wanted to know.

He asked Jiji all the questions he could think of for him. He’d asked about his parents again and the old man looked at the redhead who seemed to read Jiji’s mind.

“I knew as soon as I saw him.” He knew who his parents were? Obviously he had to have known _one_ of them but were his parents so recognizable that a single look was all it took? Why hadn’t _he_ ever seen it?

He didn’t look much like Kaeru… Kaeru-nii? He didn’t look much like Kaeru-nii. The redhead was skinny and pale, his eyes were dark and his hair was _red_. Really red. The most beautiful kind of red. His face was scarred but he was still pretty. Naruto, on the other hand, definitely wasn’t pretty like his cousin. He was thin but the baby fat that clung to his face stubbornly didn’t show it well, and he wasn’t very toned (he would _definitely_ change that though!). He was tan and had whisker marks and was distinctly _blond_ with sky blue eyes.

Thinking about it, Kaeru-nii’s eyes were like the night sky while his own were like the sky during the day. They were opposites in nearly every way but they were _very_ similar in terms of personality--though he didn’t actually know much about the man. He didn’t even know how old he was. His cousin didn’t look much older than the genin he’d seen him with one (the weird green one with the girl and the one that reminded him of Hinata). He definitely didn’t look as old as Kakashi-sensei and that other green jounin he’d seen. He was short too.

He wondered if that was just bad luck when it came to genes.

They went to what Naruto assumed was his cousin’s house. Jiji had mentioned that the redhead was currently living with someone until his apartment was ready (apparently that had been code for “until you can be trusted”). Kaeru-nii got the key and the address but he still needed to move in so they were at the weird house on the edge of the city-area of the village.

The redhead promised to answer all of his questions.

Naruto didn’t expect a full meal along with it.

He watched his cousin expertly cut and clean all the vegetables and meat--though some things were already prepared and just taken out of the fridge. Nothing took too long to cook and Kaeru-nii let Naruto stir things and move food into dishes. He explained what he was doing and promised to let him help more next time and the blond got the good kind of butterflies in his stomach and felt warmth spread through his chest.

There wasn’t any ramen, unfortunately, but the assortment of food looked _amazing_. There were all kinds of things he didn’t recognize but they all smelt unbelievable. Even the vegetables and wasn’t _that_ a shock? The only vegetable Naruto could remember eating in the last week, even the last _month_ was the green onion in his bowl of ramen. Unless red bean soup counted as a vegetable. Iruka-sensei didn’t think so, but Naruto was pretty sure it counted.

There were several small dishes on the table and Kaeru-nii pointed to each one and explained what it was to Naruto, seeing his confused yet eager face.

The first dish had what looked like slices of potato that had holes punched in them covered in a brown sauce. He called it braised lotus root. Naruto had never eaten a root before, not like _this_ at least. The next had lettuce-looking stuff covered in a red, pasty sauce.

“This is called Kimchi. It’s cabbage that’s been rubbed with a special paste and then fermented.”

Naruto didn’t _quite_ know what that meant but it smelled good, if not a bit spicy.

There were dumplings, something called ginseng chicken soup, a potato pancake, pickled radish, spinach with _stuff_ on it, seafood, and shredded cabbage with pork cutlet. Most of the food wasn’t something regularly available in Konoha. The ingredients were familiar for the most part, though he didn’t recognize a lot of the seafood, but the way they were combined and the way they were prepared was unfamiliar. The only real way to know it was good was to have Choji try it but it certainly _smelled_ good so Naruto had little trouble picking things with his chopsticks and trying them.

He was surprised to find that he enjoyed all of it.

“It’s good that you like it. Maybe a proper diet will help you grow a couple inches,” The redhead teased him.

“It didn’t help _you_ any,” He pouted in return and the older shinobi laughed.

“I didn’t get a proper diet until… fairly recently, actually. I had a decent diet for a few years when I was a year or so older than you and I grew but my situation didn’t really allow for a nutritious diet.”

Naruto felt bad for saying anything but his cousin was quick to reassure him.

“It’s okay, things are better now. Even though I won’t be growing any taller.” Unfortunately that was how puberty worked.

“Hey, Kaeru-nii… How old are you?” He asked as he took a piece of pickled radish into his mouth.

Normally he wouldn’t ask. Women tended to get angry about those kinds of questions but the older Uzumaki wasn’t a woman and he _did_ say Naruto could ask anything.

“Technically I’m a little younger than Kakashi, but really we’re the same age. I’m twenty six.”

Naruto probably wouldn’t have believed him if he didn’t look so embarrassed about it. He would’ve guessed that his cousin was still a teenager not nearing his _thirties_.

The blond waited until they finished eating to ask the heavier questions. As excited as he was to get answers, the pleasant buzz between them--the kind of happiness that Naruto always saw between parents and their children or siblings when he’d been in the Academy. He didn’t want to ruin it yet.

* * *

“Can you tell me about my parents?”

Kaeru expected the question sooner, considering how determined he’d been to get an answer when he was a child. They’d finished lunch a while earlier and had been chatting on the sitting room couch about interests and hobbies and talents. Of course, Kaeru already knew all that about Naruto but the blond was clueless about himself and while many of those things were the same between them, things had definitely changed since he was the blond’s age.

He smiled softly at the twelve year old. He was so small at that age and the expression on his face made him look even younger. It made him wonder how Sandaime-jiji had ever been able to resist (and he didn’t even mean that in a narcissistic way, he honestly had no clue how anyone could resist such a sad puppy expression).

“Your mom was born in Uzushiogakure. Her name was Uzumaki Kushina. She came here when she was young because she was chosen to be the next jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi,” He heard Naruto gasp but he didn’t give the boy a chance to speak yet. “The first was the Shodaime’s wife, Uzumaki Mito. When she got old, the Kyuubi was passed to your mom. When she moved here, she attended Ninja Academy where she met your dad. From what I was told, he fell in love with her red hair--the same hair that other kids bullied her for. They both wanted to be Hokage too, you know.”

He let the information sink in a little before continuing.

“Kushina, from what I’ve been told, hated your father at first. Your father saved her from being kidnapped and that was when things started to change for them. I don’t know if they were formally married but I do know they really loved each other. Earlier, when I told Sandaime-sama that I knew whose son you were immediately, I didn’t mean your mom. You do look like her, you have her face, but immediately it’s obvious you take after your father. He was blond too with the same blue eyes. He was an excellent shinobi, kind but feared and from what I’ve heard he was also an excellent teacher.”

“Who was he?” Naruto’s voice was soft and hesitant and Kaeru had no doubts that absolutely no one would ever believe that Naruto had a side like that to him.

“Your father’s name was Namikaze Minato. He carried many titles, he was Kakashi’s teacher, he was the _Yellow Flash_ and he was the Yondaime Hokage.”

Naruto didn’t move for a while as what he said sank in.

“My dad… was the Yondaime?”

“Yep,” Kaeru smiled at him. “I wasn’t here at the time, not even close really but I do know what happened that night… The night you were born a masked man used your mother’s pregnancy to extract the Kyuubi from your mom. When you’re pregnant, specifically when you’re in labor, the seal is weakened. He took advantage of that and used a special power to unleash the fox on Konoha. The Kyuubi wasn’t sealed within you as a punishment or because your parents didn’t love you. They did, more than anything. He was sealed within you because your father trusted you to keep the village safe, to use your power to protect it.”

Of course, Jiraiya chose _that_ moment to barge into the house--though it technically _did_ belong to him so maybe he only barged in on the moment he was having with his counterpart.

Naruto looked startled but relaxed when he saw that the redhead wasn’t alarmed by the tall, loud old man slamming doors and giggling to himself like a weirdo.

“Who’s that?” The blond asked. He could hear the man, maybe he could even sense him to some degree, but he couldn’t see him yet.

The white haired member of the Legendary Sannin stopped and stared when he got to the sitting room. It was obvious that Jiraiya didn’t know what to say around the kid so Kaeru made it easy.

For Naruto.

“He’s your godfather.”

“What?!”

Apparently that was going to be a regular reaction to learning those kinds of things, though he sounded distinctly less breathy and more disturbed this time around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's so short. Pinterest is a black hole and I fall in every time. It's really addicting--especially when you fall into the anime section because the memes are endless and they're gold. It's great but also counter productive because ADHD brain doesn't like to write when it can browse pinterest or play games. It wasn't a great time for my ADHD but it's here anyway (and falling further and further behind in word count compared to my Deaf!Naruto story...).
> 
> In general I'm not stoked on this chapter but I like aspects of it I guess (it's probably going to get a major makeover when I go through and edit but it's okay for now). I'm pretty sure I promised Kakashi this chapter but he never showed up, next week he will for sure though. He was meant to be in this one but I couldn't fit him.
> 
> Also, I made Korean food traditional for Uzushio because I can. It's all I eat anymore and I wanted to write about it because it's amazing (I might be a bit biased though...). Seriously though, do a google search for Korean BBQ restaurants near you and try it out or look up some recipes online. Check out Maangchi on youtube if you're into that, I love her videos and recipes.
> 
> Once again, thank you for sticking with me these past 10 weeks! I hope you'll stick with me into the future as well, whether that's 10 weeks longer or more! Thanks for all you kudos and comments and thanks so much to everyone who's added this story to their bookmarks! You're all amazing and I can't believe this story has made it so far! It's all thanks to you guys, you all keep me writing!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! 
> 
> See you next Friday!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo
> 
> EDIT July 4, 2020: Thanks so much for 20k hits on this story! You guys are amazing!


	12. Team 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaeru meets the rest of the Konoha 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is up way, _way_ later than usual (normally I like to update in the mornings) but I was feeling crappy last night and ended up falling asleep half way through the chapter so I only woke up a couple hours ago. Then my internet was crap and I couldn't post because it wasn't working.
> 
> Guys this chapter was really hard for me to write and it's disgustingly short--the shortest chapter of this story I've written by far. So, in light of this mess, there's a _**really**_ important note in the end notes about the future of this story so please read it! It's going to be on both of my stories and I'd really like to know your thoughts on the matter. It was a really hard decision to make--not that it's completely set in stone yet--and I wanted to address it for a few weeks now.

**Chapter Eleven: Team 7**

* * *

It was a lot for him to process, Naruto having a family after yearning for one for so long. It seemed almost too good to be true, like it was all some amazing dream and in the morning he’d wake up and have it all torn away from him. Naruto didn’t sleep at all that first night.

His cousin was cool, _way_ cooler than he’d thought from Konohamaru and company’s description. He was also _super_ strong. He’d taken down _S-rank_ missing nin without sustaining any major injuries and they traveled in pairs. He was the kind of shinobi Naruto always wanted to be but Naruto knew there was more to him than just his strength and top notch pranking skills. He was sad in the same way Naruto had been--and in some ways he still was. Kaeru-nii told him about his village, how it fell and how he’d lost everything. He told him about his past as an orphan and how the only real family he’d known were his friends. It was all very similar to himself and the blond couldn’t help but be grateful for the redhead. He’d lost _everything_ , but was still standing. Naruto never really had much to begin with but Iruka-sensei, Jiji and Konohamaru (with his friends) had become Naruto’s family--his team was slowly worming their way into his heart too, even Sasuke. He couldn’t help but want his cousin to find something like that here too. Having blood relatives, from a _clan_ no less, was great but Naruto wasn’t dumb enough to believe that he and _Ero Sennin_ would be enough.

The white haired man was a whole other topic. He was much like Naruto; loud and boisterous and he was _strong_. One of the three legendary ninja and the only one still truly loyal to Konoha. He was also apparently his godfather. At first he’d been grossed out by the idea of his parents choosing _him_ for something that was so important (it wasn’t something he understood well, but it was explained to him once so he kind of got it). Apparently his name came from the first book the man ever wrote, his parents wanted him to become a shinobi like _that_ Naruto.

It was probably the only book Naruto would ever read willingly--if only for his family’s sake.

His _family._

Knowing who his family was, having family _alive_. It was new and completely _awesome_. His father was the Yondaime. His _hero_. He’d looked up to his father his whole life and he never even knew it. His mother was another amazing shinobi. His parents died to protect him, because they loved him, they thought he was worth it. He’d spent so much of his life wondering if he’d been given up or if his parents hated him as much as the village and although it hurt to know his father had sealed the beast within him, knowing they loved him was worth it. Kaeru-nii said that his father trusted him with the fox’s power, said that he’d trusted Naruto to protect the village. The way he spoke… Naruto thought it seemed like he understood. It was strange, but then he remembered what the redhead had told him. That there were others like him.

The thought was amazing. People who understood, who could help, who could _know_ and wouldn’t hate him. His cousin was even _close_ to them! It was almost too much.

There was so much about himself he’d yet to learn, so much he’d _wanted_ to learn. He told his cousin about his rivalry and he’d laughed at him.

It quickly became apparent that it was _stupid_ , even if Kaeru-nii didn’t say so himself.

“But _why_ do you _have_ to be better? Why can’t you grow together?” The answer seemed obvious to the blond.

“Because he thinks he’s the best at everything! I want him to know how it feels to have to _work for it_!” The redhead got a strange look on his face.

“You said his surname was Uchiha, right? You can’t expect to be better than someone with years of training with a clan when you were raised as a civilian,” When he said it like that... “I wasn’t born gifted at anything, personally. I had to work twice as hard for half the results everyone else was getting but when I finally _did_ get it, it was one of the greatest feelings. My need for a rivalry faded and in the end I just wanted to get strong with everyone else. So we could protect each other.”

It clearly didn’t do him enough good but Naruto could see where he was coming from. It didn’t matter though because both of his teammates hated him. He wasn’t skilled enough for Sasuke to acknowledge beyond insults and all Sakura saw was _Sasuke-kun_. Naruto was pretty sure that the _Sasuke-kun_ she kept envisioning and talking to wasn’t even actually Sasuke at all.

“For people like Sasuke, who have a superiority complex,” Naruto had no idea what that meant but didn’t interrupt to ask. “Their superiority is a defense mechanism. It’s to protect them, shield them from being vulnerable. My best friend was like that for… a long time. It took us a long time to get past it. I always felt inferior and he… kind of dealt with both sides. There’s nothing wrong with a rivalry, but remember that you’re on the same side. Ninja protect their village, even with your personal goals, that's always the number one objective for a shinobi.” He’d said it like it was something important--and to someone that had lost so much, it probably was.

Naruto decided he’d protect the village until his dying breath--that was what it meant to be Hokage. He was starting to see that after talking to his cousin. Being strong was important, yes, but being a leader, being able to motivate and lead and being willing to _die_ for the village and for your comrades was what it was really about. He decided he’d keep what was left of his family safe with the same passion.

He’d grow stronger--not only to surpass the Hokage, Jiji and his father and those before them--to keep everyone he loved and his home safe.

When he told Kaeru-nii, the smile he’d received and the headpats the redhead gave him was worth the trouble it took to finally see that.

He didn’t go back to his own apartment that night. His cousin loaned him a clean shirt to wear to bed--it was a bit big, but the redhead wasn’t _that_ much bigger than him so it wasn’t too bad a fit.

**~()~**

The next day he was woken up early to meet up with his team and there was a full breakfast waiting for him on the table. His cousin explained without Naruto needing to say a word.

“High in calories so you have plenty of energy for training today and plenty of nutrients so you can finally gain a few centimeters. You _really_ don’t want to be twenty six and still have people asking if you’re seventeen. _Especially_ , when you’re out drinking.”

The idea of growing taller than 145 cm was too appealing to complain about the vegetables. Naruto was quickly learning not to underestimate his redheaded cousin’s cooking. It’d been too long since he had anything other than ramen--instant or otherwise--and the fact that it was _amazing_ made it even better.

Over breakfast Ero Sennin--he’d taken the nickname from Kaeru-nii because it was _hilarious_ \--talked about his job as a spy and Naruto was fascinated. He was away from the village a lot but he got to do very special and secret jobs for the Hokage directly. It was the kind of stuff he’d wanted to do when he became a ninja and it was _way_ more interesting than catching evil cats or weeding gardens or painting fences. The missions they were doing now sucked and Naruto was almost grateful they didn’t have any scheduled for the day. They weren’t even missions anyway, they were _chores_ and the more of them they did, the more annoyed the whole team got. It was a wonder how Team 10 was managing, with someone as lazy as Shikamaru with so many chores. He couldn’t imagine the pineapple head being much help and Kakashi-sensei had told them that they wouldn’t be getting any higher ranked missions until their teamwork was better.

That was a whole other thing.

The blond had no problem working with Sakura--given that she actually pays attention and doesn’t give Sasuke credit for things that _he_ did. Sasuke was a whole different matter. Normally Naruto would say he hates the guy but that wasn’t _entirely_ true. He didn’t like him, sure, but he also understood that if the two of them worked together, they could probably topple a village. Sasuke was just too uncooperative because he looked down on him and it was incredibly frustrating.

The look on his cousin’s face screamed that he was going to change that.

He also offered to teach him the Uzumaki clan’s special Fuuinjutsu. Which meant that Naruto was going to learn something his clan knew, his mother knew, and he didn’t think he’d ever been more excited to read a bunch of boring, pictureless scrolls--apparently it was dangerous and there were a lot of rules he needed to know first, so he didn’t blow himself up by accident or something. The redhead didn’t budge on the matter and Naruto knew without a doubt that he was serious.

When he set out to leave he paused and turned back to his cousin, who was finishing up the dishes.

“Hey, Kaeru-nii…?”

The redhead paused and gave the blond a kind, patient smile.

“Yeah?”

“Can you… Would you like to come meet my teammates?” He was irrationally nervous about asking and he had no idea why. “It’s just that, Kakashi-sensei is going to be really late and since you said that you met everyone else…”

“Sure,” Kaeru didn’t even hesitate, and Naruto could almost cry from happiness. “I’d love to.”

They set off for the bridge together, the redhead’s pale arm wrapped around Naruto’s orange and blue clad shoulders for half. When his arm dropped, the blond gripped his hand and tried to look confident. He was twelve, almost thirteen. He shouldn’t need to hold someone’s hand and when they got to the bridge Sasuke would probably make fun of him but he couldn’t help but crave his cousin’s affection. He finally had real, living , breathing, family and the constant contact only helped to prove that it wasn’t a dream. Kaeru-nii accepted it easily and held his hand securely, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

It was the first time Naruto was excited to go to training since their first day--before they got used to their teacher’s bad habits and boring missions.

* * *

Kaeru wasn’t sure he was ready to see Sasuke again. He’d seen him briefly before but this was different, that was the Sasuke he’d first become close to--only for Orochimaru to rip him away. He knew that if he could, no _when_ he prevented that, everything would finally be as it should’ve been.By the time Orochimaru had showed up for them, during the Chunin Exams, Kaeru had finally wormed his way into the little ice prince’s heart, they were working together and cared about each other. Then the cursed seal happened. It turned him into everything he never should’ve been and, though he hadn’t known it at the time, was probably the one event that completely ruined their chances of having a successful relationship. He was too naive to realize he even liked the other boy back then, but he knew that even though chasing after him started as a promise to Sakura, and even though he didn’t tell her _that_ day, the real reason he chased him for so long was for his own love. Who else did you travel to the ends of the planet to look for? For him, it would be anyone he loved, and the fact that he was so unwilling to accept that the raven was anything other than _Sasuke_ only proved that it wasn’t just comradery powering his choice.

Kakashi-sensei was the only one who really saw that--but only because Sai and Yamato-taicho still had trouble with emotions and the latter was more concerned with his seal.

The trip to the bridge was nostalgic and if he hadn’t taken so much time to _really_ move past his old life, to adjust to the new person he was--the one with only a familial connection to Konoha--he might have cried. He didn’t.

When Naruto held his hand he came pretty close though. Konohamaru had always had family and wanted to be a grown up too soon so he’d rarely gotten anything outside of high fives and worried looks--because he didn’t want to look weak. It hit him like a ton of bricks, just how lonely he’d really been in the beginning. It was almost hard to remember because he’d had his friends for so long, but losing them and not having them to begin with were two different things--even if the loneliness was the same.

Eventually the bridge came into view and Sasuke’s black, spiked hair was already there waiting next to a blob of pink and red.

Sakura wasn’t a pleasant teammate at age twelve. She’d been more willing to work with him as a teenager but in the end the only thing that mattered until the war _really_ kicked off was Sasuke. She also had a weird bias against orphans, which was ironic considering the object of her affections. He remembered a particular comment she’d made when Obito sent them into the alternate universe, where their wishes came true, where Sakura was the orphan and Naruto had his family. She’d told him that she wished _he’d_ left instead of Sasuke and that Sasuke would agree with her about the way she’d treated her parents. It was stupid and ignorant of her because Sasuke lost his entire clan in a single night and she _knew_ that. The war knocked sense into her, but there was no way Kaeru was going to let the pinkette continue down the path she was walking.

If he really had to, he’d recommend a temporary removal from the team so she could learn more effectively without Sasuke as a distraction--honestly he had no idea why his grandfather figure thought it was a good idea to put them on the same team. Traditions and “balance” aside, the team was doomed from the start without a serious intervention. The fact that the ability to memorise didn’t equal physical ability was a whole other monster--title of Deadlast aside, Kaeru hadn’t been the complete moron he’d been seen as. He wasn’t a genius or anything, but he noticed more than anyone gave him credit for, he just had a habit of rushing into things as a kid.

When they got to the spot on the bridge where Sasuke and Sakura were waiting, the looks on their faces at the sight of him were _priceless_. He wished Sai was there to draw them, or that he had a camera. It was a rare sight that Sasuke showed any emotion, let alone confusion and he wanted to enjoy every second of it. Naruto was grinning, and bouncing up and down and Kaeru made sure his own grin was a perfect match. If either of them noticed the similarities, they expressed through further confusion.

“Naruto, what are you doing to this poor jounin?!” Sakura screeched and raised her hand to smack the blond, reminding Kaeru of the other reason the girl needed to change.

Naruto, for his part, remained unfazed.

“This is my cousin!” His happiness was blinding and once again Kaeru found himself wondering if finding the sight adorable was conceited--considering the fact that he distinctly remembered thinking he was ugly as a kid, the redhead decided he didn’t care. The blond needed more self confidence anyway.

Sasuke’s face did a weird... _thing_. It was obvious that he was happy for the blond, Naruto had been alone for longer than the raven knew him, but he also looked amazingly jealous. It was understandable, especially considering the Uchiha’s personal view of Naruto at this point but it only furthered Kaeru’s drive to redeem Itachi and bring him back home.

His Sasuke had been devastated about his brother’s death, about his illness, about _everything_ involving the older Uchiha. He didn’t want this one feeling the same despair and regret, especially when Kaeru looked up to him after _he_ found out the truth. He’d have done anything to protect his baby brother, and that was the kind of person Kaeru wanted to be too--someone who’d do _anything_ for his family, for the people he loved. In a way he did, being _here_ in an alternate timeline was more than anyone else had ever done before. No one’s sacrifice would go to waste, of that he was positive.

He smiled at the final two members of Rookie 9 and Konoha 12, refusing to allow even a hint of his thoughts to show.

“I’m Uzumaki Kaeru, it’s nice to meet you…?” He left it open for them to introduce themselves.

“Uchiha Sasuke.” His voice was young and his response was clipped but the redhead’s heart panged at the sound. It had been so long since he’d heard that voice, but it served as a reminder for everything he still had to do.

“I’m Haruno Sakura,” Her cheeks were pink as she looked at him and it took an extra second for him to realize he was only wearing his mid-sleeve fishnet shirt and left his jounin vest mostly unzipped.

Thin as he was, it was good to know it wasn’t off putting. His diet hadn’t been the best since the war started and he didn’t actually require much of anything to survive anymore--whether it be sleep or food, the presence of the Bijuu kept him going throughout the decade of tough times he’d been forced through.

When the kids sat down there was considerable distance between them, they weren’t close. They weren’t friends, they didn’t speak to each other and Naruto was twitching in the awkward silence. He had no idea how to approach it. Kaeru wasn’t supposed to _know_ them and making a bad impression now could ruin his plans.

It turned out, Sasuke was the one to break the awkward silence.

“What’s with the seals?” It sounded more like a demand, that Uchiha arrogance peaking through, but Kaeru knew it was more than that. It was his subtle way of deferring, acknowledging that the redhead was likely much stronger and the subject matter was his method of judgement. It was all very Sasuke, but seeing the tiny version now that he was aware was _adorable_.

Kaeru smirked.

“They’re for sealing things,” Sasuke glared and the redhead laughed, Naruto giggling right next to him. “I was a bounty hunter and unaffiliated. I couldn’t carry many bags or much weight. So my weapons are sealed on my skin. Some store chakra, some are for self defense. Don’t even think about trying to put some on yourself either. You’ll never have enough chakra. Naruto’s the only one who could ever hope to.”

Naruto’s face lit up with pride and confusion and Kaeru hurried to voice the unspoken question.

“Because it’s in your blood, kid.” Honestly, Kaeru couldn’t remember being that happy as a kid.

The looks on the two twelve year olds’ faces told him they agreed completely.

“What do you mean, Kaeru-san?” Sakura, ever so eager to learn something knew to fill her brain, asked.

Kakashi wouldn’t be arriving for hours yet so he decided to answer their questions (the best he could, anyway).

“The Uzumaki clan originally came from the island of Uzushio. It was a close ally to Konoha and later became its biggest shame, so to honor their fallen ally they use our clan symbol on their jounin and chunin,” She seemed confused, but Kaeru didn’t go into detail. It would only make sense to seem distant about talking about it at times--even if he never actually experienced it. “The symbol on Sasuke-kun’s back is his clan symbol. The spiral on shinobi flak jackets, the spire on Naruto’s jumpsuit, belongs to the Uzumaki clan. The clan was wiped out years ago and those who survived were hunted--anyone who survived that scattered.”

Sasuke was the only one who’d understand the feeling, and even though they weren’t actually family, Naruto considered his friends his _clan_. It was the closest he ever came to family and, in that way, Kaeru could finally relate to Kakashi and Sasuke. He could see his words sink in and Sasuke looked away, his face contorted into a sneer. He probably realized that he and Naruto now had another thing in common. Sakura didn’t seem to care much about the clan itself, but the history of the village had always been fascinating to her. It was one of those things where, since she’d never experienced anything similar, it was almost unreal.

Sasuke normally had a similar reaction, since he was spoiled by the village after the massacre, but not with _this_.

He decided to lift the depressing atmosphere by offering a game that would help improve their skills. It started as a simple competition, but Kaeru had a hidden objective--mostly just to show off, to be seen as someone powerful and awe inspiring to _them_ because he’d never been that before. He was just _Naruto_ to them for so long, even when the village finally acknowledged him. They were to see who could meditate without moving for the longest amount of time. Its purpose was to give him time to enter sage mode and summon some of the toads (he also wanted to introduce Naruto to Gamakichi since they would be partners one day).

Surprisingly, Sakura lost first. Kaeru had been expecting his counterpart to be the first to move. He remembered his own training (though what he was doing had much higher stakes) and he could barely sit still at all. She twitched bit by bit and as Kaeru let more nature chakra surround him the more of it he felt..

“Sakura’s out,” Her face was no doubt red and embarrassed but both Naruto as Sasuke were laser focused on their task. They didn’t know how to allow natural chakra to mingle with their personal chakra and they didn’t have summons to connect to so he didn’t worry about them turning into stone frogs.

Naruto moved next and when they stopped focusing on each other, mostly to pout or be smug, they finally looked at Kaeru.

His eye lids had a ring of orange and yellow surrounding them and when he opened his eyes they had turned a brilliant gold with square pupils. He could’ve sworn both Sakura _and_ Sasuke’s faces pinkened but it could’ve just been a trick of the lighting--it was still early, afterall.

“Woah! That’s so cool!” Kaeru chuckled at the blond’s enthusiasm.

“This is called sage mode. Since I hold the Toad Summoning contract, my sage mode allows me to take on frog or toad-like characteristics. Mine is a little more complete than Jiraiya’s but it does allow for a boost.” He didn’t want to say too much about it, he knew Sasuke would want to learn it so he could kill Itachi and he wanted to keep out of that whole ordeal for just a little longer. The first meeting was a little too soon for that.

He blazed through the familiar hand seals he hadn’t performed in nearly a year, biting his thumb with his elongated canines.

“ _This_ ,” A small group of toads were summoned before the redhead. “Is Gamakichi, Fukasaku-sama, or Pa, and Shima, or ma.”

He could detect Kakashi watching them from the tree since his arrival at the bridge. He couldn’t help but wonder if the presence of a few of his summons would change the cyclops’s view of being late or not.

* * *

Kakashi always watched his team when he was finished talking to the memorial stone. Each time they met he hoped they would find some way to communicate like a team and not like rivals or enemies. They were all members, fighters, of Konoha and the longer they took to work together and not against each other the longer they’d be stuck going on D-ranks, which meant the longer Kakashi would have to _supervise_ D-ranks. No one had fun during D-ranks, no matter how much he teased them about it they would never be any more interesting than they were when he’d been a genin himself.

He hadn’t expected to see Konoha’s newest member accompanying the short blond member of his team, let alone holding his hand like he was a child. Naruto _was_ a child, only twelve years old, but he was also a soldier--though after going through years of neglect and loneliness, perhaps it should’ve been expected.

For a brief moment, Kaeru had looked like Kushina. Deep red hair tied up in a high ponytail, not much taller than 165cm (he wasn’t entirely sure, but the silver haired jounin thought that Kaeru might be _shorter_ than Kushina had been) with his jounin vest. It made his heart ache, wishing that she _was_ there, to see what her son was on his way to becoming. He had no doubt she was watching, but he wished she was _there_ , that Naruto could’ve known her.

The sight itself was adorable. Naruto was bouncing with excitement and Kaeru wore the softest look, already so gone on the relative he hadn’t even known he had. The redhead’s presence even got his team interacting without arguments. Any time they tried, Kaeru was quick to shut it down, easily distracting them with some show of power that put stars in their eyes.

He sensed the change in the younger shinobi’s chakra immediately as he entered sage mode. He’d seen it, and sensed it, before while working with Jiraiya but he’d never seen anything like _that_. When the white haired Sannin entered sage mode his hands became webbed, nose larger and covered in warts and the red lines that streaked down his face thickened. He’d been told the first time that the chakra mode forced the user to take on frog like characteristics. Jiraiya often said that while his Sage Mode wasn’t perfected, the extra characteristics _did_ provide an advantage at times. He was under the impression that becoming a toad sage doomed you to be unattractive while using it (not that he ever thought _Jiraiya_ was attractive to begin with). So when the orange and yellow rings circled the pretty redhead’s eyes, giving the impression of particularly flamboyant makeup, he’d been shocked. Especially since it was the only indicator outside of his toad-like eyes, complete with square pupils, that he was using it to begin with.

Somehow, the Uzumaki looked even _prettier_ when in Sage Mode. He wasn’t even ashamed to say so because the younger man looked so much like his late teacher’s wife and Kushina had been _beautiful_. The toads were also a surprise but Kakashi supposed he shouldn’t have been that shocked--he was a _toad sage_ , afterall.

The youngest toad seemed particularly taken with Naruto, which was good since he was likely to inherit the contract soon. The two older ones just looked on fondly and answered any technical questions (and told some stories about _Kaeru_ when he’d first learned the art of Senjutsu). He almost didn’t want to interrupt but he’d been nearing the four hour mark and knew he had to get down there soon.

“Look at who decided to come out of his tree,” Kaeru was smirking at him and Kakashi gave him an eye smile. Of course the stronger shinobi had sensed him since the beginning. “In Sage Mode I can sense almost everything in a considerable range.”  
  
The last part seemed more directed at the youngest parts of Team 7 but he supposed it was enough of an answer. The Uzumaki had said before that in sage mode his sensory perception heightened. The childish part of Kakashi that never _quite_ died wanted to test the range on it, like some kind of game, but he squashed it down.

Besides, Kaeru would probably take it the wrong way if he did.

“Time for training!” His voice was cheerful and he knew the twelve year olds before him couldn’t read a single emotion--though the other twenty six year old probably did. “You’re going to run three laps around the village!” The genin groaned but Kakashi didn’t budge. The only team member besides himself that had any significant stamina was Naruto, who actually exceeded his stamina.

Sasuke was good, he had plenty of chakra, but his physical endurance was lacking and Sakura’s was even worse.

He wondered if he could get Kaeru to help him with that. They’d been so focused while talking to him, about nothing other than _summons_ no less. Honestly he thought the technical aspects might bore them. Too many people saw summons as tools rather than living beings and seeing the care the redhead showed his toads proved he wasn’t one of them. Naruto was probably the only one other than the summoner who spoke to them like they were people. Sasuke and Sakura, when Kakashi had watched from afar, had asked Kaeru the questions like they weren’t there or somehow couldn’t understand. It was frustrating but he had seen Sasuke begin to acknowledge them before he interrupted.

Now Sasuke was racing Naruto around the village (there was no doubt they’d come back on the verge of passing out from their stupidity) with Sakura trailing behind, worried for the Uchiha’s sake.

The sharingan eyed shinobi sat beside the redhead. He definitely needed to ask the younger man something, he just hoped he said “yes.” He’d talked about it with Asuma and even _Gai_ but they hadn’t been much help at all. He had to hope that he didn’t somehow manage to screw up like he screwed up everything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _  
>  ****  
>  EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTE! PLEASE READ!   
>    
>  _
> 
> To put it simply, I think I might change my update schedule. I love updating weekly but I'm hitting a bit of a slump and I don't want to hate the stories I'm writing by forcing myself. I've had a lot of ideas for other fics that I want to work on too (including a number of crossovers) and I want to write all of them.
> 
> So I think I might change to a rotation-type schedule where I update one (maybe 2) a week. Updates would still be on Fridays/Saturdays but there would be more time and I'd be able to update _all_ my stories on a regular schedule. Plus it would be hard to burn out when I'm always writing something different.
> 
> I really want to know what you guys think about this, because I've been thinking about it for a while but I was kind of nervous to bring it up.
> 
> If you're all for it, let me know what you'd like to see. I have all kinds of fics from all kinds of fandoms on the back burner that I want to bring out. Crossovers and non-crossovers alike. I'm excited. Plus I'd finally be able to properly update Triple Trouble for the first time in 2 years.
> 
> ~~Normal Note~~
> 
> Anyway, that aside, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Thanks to everyone who leaves comments and kudos and to everyone who's added this story to their subscriptions and bookmarks! You guys keep me going during my slumps and you're all amazing!
> 
> Next week: Time is passing!
> 
> See you next Friday!
> 
> ~KoreanOreo


	13. NEW UPDATE SCHEDULE

Hello Everybody!

Okay, after the enormous support I received I decided I _was_ going to change my schedule for updates so here we go.

* * *

For those who don't know, I'm changing to a rotating schedule where I update a different story (maybe two on occasion) every week because I don't want to avoid a burn out. I _am_ taking a break from writing either story this week purely because it was really hectic and I'm exhausted but updates will be returning starting next weekend (July 24/25).

Another reason I'm doing this is because I have fifty million other story ideas I want to work on as well 😂

* * *

Here's the schedule as of now (I'll add changes as necessary but as of July 16, this is what I'm working with:

**1\. Triple Trouble** (a proper update for the first time in 2 years starting next week, whoop!)

 **2\. New Story 1** (if it's ready, if not I'll change this)

 **3\. Hand Signs** (Which I didn't update last week because I screwed up my sleep schedule, Sorry!)

**4\. New Story 2**

**5\. From Time to Time** (Which is last because I updated last week and I decided Friday night that I was going through with it)

Any other new fics will be added on the end but this is the schedule for now. I know going from weekly updates to having a new chapter every _5_ weeks is a big difference but I think it will make my work better so it's something I'm willing to do.

* * *

 **EDIT 18/7/20:** What to look forward to:

Guys my fandoms are expanding. There will be more than just Naruto to be looking forward to in the coming weeks!

Including, but not limited to:

Yuri!!! on Ice

Haikyuu!!

Free!

Kuroko no Basuke (Sorry I love sports anime so much...)

Assassination Classroom (this fandom, particularly Karma/Nagisa, doesn't have enough love)

Attack on Titan (Eren/Levi or Erwin/Levi?)

Probably others too but who knows-- don't forget there are crossovers coming too! I'm looking forward to it, it's gonna be fun!

* * *

Thanks for your endless support! I'll see you guys with another update soon!

Follow me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/korean_oreo/) It's new. I just made it on 20/7/20. There's one post so far!.

~KoreanOreo

**Author's Note:**

> The next chapter will be out after I finally get caught up with Triple Trouble (After the monster that will be chapter 10 because if it goes according to plan it will be about 15k+ words which is about 2-3 times as long as any other chapter). Hopefully that will only be a couple weeks since I finally have free time. This week has been pretty busy since I've been trying to be a bit more active instead of sitting on my bed all day on top of helping my mother clean the house top to bottom.
> 
> I also have another old story that I'm picking back up which is a Shika/Naru and I have a couple Gaara/Naru and Neji/Naru story ideas too  
> (Not to mention the Jinchuuriki-centric story I've been sitting on since I started Triple Trouble back in 2016 and several ideas for other fandoms as well)
> 
> I'm so excited to be writing again I have a million projects going at once, send help ADHD is hard


End file.
